


A Miraculous Tale

by Lilacdaydreams



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Cafes, Christmas Fluff, Cuddling & Snuggling, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Hurt/Comfort, I am not sorry, Identity Reveal, It is not here, Light Angst, No Smut, POV Alternating, This is a complete MLB AU, all original characters - Freeform, basically no plot this was my first ever fic, so if you are looking for a fic with Adrien and Marinette
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-14
Updated: 2020-07-13
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:28:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 21,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25253113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lilacdaydreams/pseuds/Lilacdaydreams
Summary: Follow along with the adventures of Juliette and Remi, aka Ladybug and Chat Noir, as they traverse life as Paris' number one superheroes!
Relationships: Alex Sorelle/Rina Moran, Remi Roux/Juliette Chasse
Comments: 3
Kudos: 3





	1. Juliette

**Author's Note:**

> I know these aren't the original MLB characters, but I did keep a few of the originals. This was my first ever fic, and took over a year of writing and I'm immensely proud of it! Big thanks to A, H, LimeBear9702, and Flamefox824 for helping me write this, giving me ideas, editing, and listening to my endless ideas and complaining. I absolutely would not have bee able to write this without their support. Also, the chapter title is the name of the chapter's POV and I promise the chapters do get larger. Any-who, please enjoy!

“Mlle. Chasse, can you please tell me the answer to question 15?” asked Mme. Fourneau, awaking Juliette from her mini-nap. 

“Sorry, ma’am. The answer is D, 85,” answered Juliette, somewhat annoyed. She had been daydreaming about her escapades as Ladybug, Paris’ number one superhero, alongside her punny partner, Chat Noir. Truth was, she’d had a colossal crush on her partner since they first met. His gorgeous strawberry blonde locks have a familiar quality she could never seem to put her finger on.

She lifted her head to see Remi Roux staring up at her. She gave him a confused look that he returned with a big grin. “What’s so funny?” she asked, still bewildered.

“You have a sticky note stuck to your face,” he said, barely holding back a laugh. His best friend, Alex, took one look at Remi’s face and burst out laughing. Remi, finally giving in to the temptation, started laughing alongside him.

Embarrassed, she pulled it off of her cheek. “Oof. I only thought my mind had wandered away from Algebra but I guess I dozed off by accident. My bad.”

“Girl, you need to get more sleep. You probably snooze more in class than I do during Spring Break,” exclaimed Juli’s longtime best friend, Rina Moran. “What do you even do at night anyways, because obviously you don’t sleep.”

“I sleep! Just not as much as everybody else,” said Juli, careful to leave the specific details out. Juliette knew she could never tell her best friend what she did at night. True, it would make Rina’s day, probably even year, if she found out her best friend was her idol, Ladybug. But nobody could discover her alter ego, or secret identity. Not even Chat Noir. She wished she could tell him, but Hawkmoth could use their secret identities against them. A remark from their teacher telling them to pay more attention brought her and her friends back to reality. She knew she would get quite the talking-to from her little Kwami later for falling asleep in class yet again, but it was nice to think she would get the rest of the school day to joke with her friends about the whole sticky note situation.


	2. Remi

Remi was struggling. To stay awake, that is. He and Ladybug battled a particularly difficult Akumatized victim the past night that lasted until the early hours of the morning. Remi found it slightly amusing that both he and his crush didn’t get enough sleep the past night. _We did fight a supervillain last night,_ he thought. Just then, the bell rang, signaling the end of the end of Algebra. As he exited the room, the soft rolling of distant thunder accompanied him to his locker, lifting his spirits slightly. He loved the sound of rain.

By the time school was out, there was a steady thunderstorm over Paris. Remi saw Juliette heading out the front doors of Françoise Dupont High School and hurried towards her as she hugged Rina goodbye. He hoped he would get to see her as Ladybug later. He looked closer at Juli and saw that she didn’t have an umbrella. He snuck through the doors noiselessly, using his experience as Chat Noir to creep up directly behind Juli without her noticing. “Hey Jules,” Remi said, visibly startling the young teen. 

“Remi! Jeez why did you sneak up on me? And how did you do it so soundlessly?” exclaimed a very surprised Juliette.

“I can’t share all of my secrets with you, no matter how badly I want to, Jules,” said Remi with a smirk. He loved playing with her. “Besides, you look like you need an umbrella,” he observed, handing her his green umbrella speckled with little black cat paws. Remi was a bit disappointed he would have to walk home in the rain but he didn’t mind giving away his umbrella to Juliette.

“Thanks, Remi.” 

“No prob, I would do anything for a friend, especially you Jules.”

“You know, you’re the only one who calls me Jules.” she said, slightly annoyed.

Ouch. That tone hurt. Not that he wasn’t used to it. He was pretty sure it was unintentional, but she kept rejecting him without even trying. It was kind of obvious she didn’t like him back, but he still liked to fantasize. Plagg liked to remind him of this weakness at least once a day. “Yeah, bye Juliette. See you tomorrow.” 

“You too Remi, bye.”

Remi’s heart fluttered as he watched Juliette walk away.


	3. Juliette

As soon as Juliette got home, she went to her room and flopped onto her bed. In a matter of seconds, a small red blob by the name of Tikki flew out of her purse and hovered in front of her face. Wanting to avoid her little friend’s scolding, (and her work), Juli wracked her brains for a distraction. It had stopped raining, so she had endless options, especially since she was a superhero. Then it hit her.

“Tikki, spots on!” 

Juliette smiled as warmth spread from head to toe as her polka-dotted suit enveloped her. This was one of her favorite feelings in the world, next to spending time with her partner. Juli quickly opened the window and slipped out. She decided to go to her favorite Starbucks and sit on the roof to call him on his catphone. To her surprise, he answered.

“Hey Ladybug,” Chat said. “Where are you?”

“Uhhh, on the roof of a Starbucks, want anything?” she asked.

“Sure.” 

Startled, Ladybug looked up. A boy all clad in black was staring down at her, a big grin on his face. “I’ll take a Peanut Butter Cup Frappe, M’Lady,” he said. She could practically hear his stomach growling. 

“Two Peanut Butter Cup Frappes coming right up. Just, don’t leave the roof Chaton. We haven’t spent time together in a while and I was wondering if you wanted to catch up.”

“No problem, I can hang around as long as you wish, Bugaboo,” he said, his familiar cheshire grin etched onto his face. 

After about ten minutes, Ladybug returned with the drinks. She handed one to Chat and he immediately took a sip. Ladybug sat down on the edge of the building, and after a minute, Chat sat down next to her, both with their legs hanging over the ledge. It was getting late, and they had a perfect view of the sunset. After a while, he put his arm around Ladybug, making her stiffen, startled. Comforted by his surprising warmth, she leaned into him, unsure if she should put her head on his shoulder. He didn’t recoil against her pressure. Taking that as a good sign, she decided nothing against it, and rested her head on Chat’s shoulder. 

Ladybug was the first to upset the silence. “I have to go, I have some work to do,” she said, a hint of sadness in her voice. She hated leaving the peace of her partner, but she had schoolwork she needed to complete. Before she said goodbye she looked back at her kitty sadly, not wanting to leave. Then she bounded off for home.

“Spots off,'' she said, and the warmth of her suit left her body. Sighing, Juliette sat down at her desk and turned on her computer. Just then, she heard a tapping at her window. Chat Noir was staring straight at her. She liked it when he showed up. He didn’t come often, but they always had fun whether it was helping her with homework or snuggling up for a movie. 

She walked over to the window and let him in. He immediately walked over and sat down on the edge of her bed, pulling his knees up and sitting cross-legged.

“So, movie or homework, Juliette?” Chat asked. Obviously he was planning on being here awhile. 

“I was thinking movie,” she said. “I’ll go pop some popcorn. You can pick what we watch if you want, just put the disc by the TV when you’re done.”

“Can do, Juli,” Chat said.

“Alright, I’ll be right back. Don't get into trouble, please. My parents don’t need to know I was up late watching a movie with Chat Noir.” said Juliette, a warning tone in her voice. “I don’t want to get in trouble. I doubt my parents would like it if you were up here, regardless of whether or not you’re a superhero.”

“Okay, okay, I get it, I’ll be a quiet kitten,” said Chat, giving Juli a look that was clearly supposed to look innocent, but wasn’t. Reluctantly, Juli went to make popcorn, leaving Chat to pick the movies,  _ and _ his spot on the couch.


	4. Remi

_ Hmmm. What to watch, what to watch. Better play it safe with a Disney movie. _ “How about… Beauty and the Beast?” Chat whispered to himself. He could tell she liked this movie because it was almost always the movie she picked when he came around. 

While waiting for Juli to return, Chat started to think back to when he discovered Juliette was Ladybug. It was a total accident. It started off as a typical Akuma fight, except, after it was over and the Akuma was cleansed, he saw Ladybug detransform. She didn’t see him, thankfully, but there was enough proof as to where he couldn’t second guess. In fact, he considered himself lucky. He thought he was starting to crush on two girls, but in reality, they were one, and he was glad for it. It really made him appreciate that Juli-Ladybug was in his life. He felt truly blessed to be close to both of them. 

Just then, he heard noises coming from the stairs. He panicked, not knowing if it was Juliette or her parents. But then he heard the rattle of popcorn in a bowl and the familiar buttery scent, and was filled with a sense of relief. He got to spend the evening with the best girl in the world. Preparing for snuggles, he grabbed a blanket and threw it over top of them. Juli put the popcorn bowl between them, and they got comfortable, settling in for the movie. 

~

The first thing Chat noticed when he woke up was that he indeed wasn’t Chat anymore. The second thing he noticed was that Juliette Chasse was cuddled up against him under a blanket. They must’ve fallen asleep during the movie. He carefully extracted himself from the mess of girl and blanket and slipped into the bathroom next to her room. “Claws out,” Remi whispered, feeling the black leather surround him. He quietly reentered Juliette’s room and walked over to her, gently picked her up in his arms. He carried her to her bed and laid her gently on the comforter. One glance at her alarm clock told him it was 10:34 pm. Chat carefully bent over and lightly brushed his lips against Juliette’s forehead. He thought he saw the corners of her mouth turn up slightly as he opened the window and slipped out, but perhaps it was just his imagination.

~

Chat quietly opened the window leading to his bathroom. “Claws in,” he whispered. He then walked over to his bed and flopped down, his face against his comforter.  _ He just kissed a girl. He. Just. Kissed. A. Girl.  _ Granted, she was asleep, but still. It was magical. With thoughts of Juliette still in his mind, he drifted off to sleep.


	5. Juliette

Juliette awoke to the sound of her alarm clock. Not wanting to get out of bed, she shut it off. “Juliette, wake up! You have school today!” Tikki exclaimed.  _ Darn it. _ Juliette forgot about her backup alarm clock. She reluctantly flopped out of bed and went to take a shower. After her shower, she picked out a flower print dress she made herself and some pink ballet flats. She then put her hair up in a messy bun and went downstairs for breakfast. 

“Good morning, Juliette, there are pancakes on the table,” her mother said. 

“Thanks mama, I’m starving,” said Juliette, as her older brother, Thomas, walked down the stairs. 

“Tommy, you look like a zombie, are you sure you slept last night?” Juliette asked, her mouth full of pancakes. Thomas was Juliette’s older brother. He was studying psychology at Université Sorbonne Paris Cité so she never got to see him since he was  _ always _ cooped up in his room or at his apartment studying. 

“‘Course I slept Julibug, don’t worry about me,” he said. Thomas then sat down next to Juliette and their parents with a mountain of pancakes on his plate. 

When Juli was done with breakfast, she hugged her family goodbye before grabbing her bag and slipping out the front door. On her way to school, she decided to stop by Starbucks and get a Peanut Butter Cup Frappuccino. She knew she had one last night, but she needed the sugar.

While walking through the front doors, she ran into Remi. Literally, she bumped into him, thankfully not spilling her drink all over him. “Sorry Remi, I wasn’t looking!” she exclaimed.

“It's okay, I’m okay, Jules, don’t worry. You don’t have to apologize,” he reassured the frazzled girl. Relieved, she made her way to her locker, Remi alongside her. 

As Juliette was putting her things in her locker, thoughts of the previous night invaded her. She always had one question. _Why does Chat Noir visit ME_? She had no clue why she was so special, so why did he always visit _her_? Was she the only one he visited? Maybe they have a connection as civilians. But who could he be?

Just then, she heard a familiar, snobbish voice behind her. “Hello, Chasse. And _what_ _ , _ are you wearing??” 

Juliette rolled her eyes. It was the school’s biggest bully, Lavinia Arquette. Lavinia was the mayor’s daughter, and she had  _ everyone _ wrapped around her finger. 

“Hello  _ Lavinia _ ,” she almost spat out. “And this, it’s a dress that I mad _ e myself _ . Don’t you wish  _ you _ were cool enough to make your own clothes instead of having your daddy bribe people to buy them for you?”

“Humph. Think you’re so clever, do you Chasse?” questioned Lavinia, a hint of sourness in her tone.

“Yeah, I do, Arquette. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to get to Science.” Juliette said, turning her back to Lavinia and continuing her route to class. 

Juli was still mad by the time the bell rang, signalling the start of class. Rina saw the look on her face and immediately knew who she ran into on her way to Science. 

“Let me guess, you had a run-in with Lavinia, didn’t you. She probably insulted your dress and you shot an amazing comeback at her in return. Am I right, or am I right? ” Rina questioned. 

As always, Rina was correct. She had a knack for guessing Juliette’s problems, whether they were love related, or Lavinia related. “Of course you guessed it, you always do. How do you do that?” Juli questioned her friend. 

“I have my ways. Besides, class is starting,” Rina said with a wink.


	6. Remi

Typically, Remi enjoyed Science class, but today, his mind was occupied with thoughts of Juli. Her beautiful hair, eyes, freckles, everything. He wanted to tell her so badly that he was Chat Noir, but he was afraid of her reaction. Would she understand his hesitance, or would she be angry because he knew about her but he didn’t tell  _ her _ about _ him _ . His brain hurt just thinking about it. 

Just then, he heard a noise from outside, bringing him back to reality. Without thinking, he quickly raised his hand. 

“Mme. Bonaparte, can I use the restroom?” 

“Uhh, me too please,” he heard Juliette say from behind him. It’s a wonder he never realized the connection before.

“Yes, you may both go, but hurry back, I don’t want you to miss the lesson,” she called after them both as Remi went through the door, Juliette following behind, both trying to act as calm and inconspicuous as possible. 

When Remi got into the bathroom, he checked to see if anyone was in there before bolting to a stall and locking the door. 

“Plagg, Claws Out!” 

He burst out of the bathroom with his new speed and ran to the exit of the school, eager to find the reason Paris’ peace was being disrupted. 

Hearing a noise behind him, Chat whipped around, not knowing if it was the sure to be Akumatized victim, or his beloved Ladybug. “Bugaboo?” he called, hoping he would hear her sweet voice, but instead a hand was clamped over his eyes. 

“Shhhhh! Don’t worry Chat. It’s me.” He processed the sound of her voice. “I’m covering your eyes because of the newest victim. From what I can gather, the newest victim is a Greek Mythology fan upset about one of the Percy Jackson books. She got turned into Medusa and can turn anyone into moving stone statues, then make them do her bidding. So far, she has turned at least half of the people on the street to stone. She wants to take our Miraculous, bla bla bla, the usual,” stated Ladybug.

“Okay, I’m right behind you bugaboo. But I’m assuming that since you have your hand over my eyes she is right in front of me,” Chat said. 

“That is correct,” she whispered in his ear. “Also, please try to be a bit quieter. She has really good hearing.”

“Noted. Do you have a plan, or do we just need to wing it?” he inquired. 

“Well I was thinking, maybe you distract her, then I'll use my lucky charm and we’ll go from there, okay?”

“Okay, got it.”

“Hey snake lady, over here! Bet you can’t catch me!!” he yelled at Medusa.

Then it all went black.


	7. Juliette

Out of the corner of her eye, Ladybug saw something that made her heart sink. Chat had been turned into stone. So much for a distraction. But she knew the magic butterflies would turn him back.

“I guess I’m doing this solo,” she said quietly to herself. “Lucky Charm! A shield?”

She looked around, eager to discover how to use her lucky charm. She looked at her opponent who luckily had her head turned, then at the shield. It dawned on her. Luckily she had been learning about Greek Mythology in Literature. She could use the shield to look at her opponent and she wouldn't turn to stone.

Winning this fight without Chat and his Cataclysm proved to be quite the challenge. It wasn’t her first time fighting without him, but it was still difficult. 

At the moment, Ladybug had Medusa wrapped up in her yoyo. She walked over to the villain, and slid the stunning gold bangle from her wrist, crushing it with her shield. She captured the black butterfly in her yoyo.

When she let the now white butterfly out of her yoyo, she exclaimed one of her signature phrases. 

“Bye, bye, Little butterfly” she said, watching as it flew away. She then threw her Lucky Charm in the air and watched it vanish as the magic butterflies took its place and fixed the mess that Medusa had made. As soon as they were out of sight, she ran over to her precious Kitten who was no longer stone. 

“Chat? Are you awake?” she asked while trying not to panic. What if he didn’t wake up?

“Don’t be silly, of course he’ll wake up,” she scolded herself. 

She decided it would be nicer for Chat to come to consciousness with just his Lady by his side, so she decided to carry him to a nearby rooftop. She gently laid him down with his head in her lap. He looked so peaceful with a soft breeze playing at his loose curls. 

Seconds felt like hours, minutes like days. After a while, she saw him start to stir slightly. 

“What happened?” Chat asked, still groggy. 

“You, uhh, got hit by Medusa’s glare,” Ladybug responded. “Do you need any help getting home, or are you strong enough to do it on your own?”

“I think I got it, I don’t live far from here,” he told her.

“Alright.”

“Pound it!” they said in unison, fist bumping each other, before heading their separate ways.

~~~~~

As soon as Juliette got home from school, she walked over to her desk. She had an overabundance of work she had to complete, so she prayed Chat would be too tired to show up. 

Some dinner and hour and a half later, Juli decided it was time to go to bed. She had finished her homework and was pretty beat. She fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.

~~~~~

Many, many hours later, Juliette was running out the door, a croissant held between her teeth. She overslept.  _ Again _ . She burst through the doors of the school with surprising speed and ran to her first period class. When she walked through the doors, she saw that Remi wasn’t there.  _ Huh, he seemed just fine yesterday _ , she thought. She walked over to her seat and sat down. “Do you know where Remi is?” Juli questioned Rina. 

“Well, I heard from Alex that his dad’s sickness got pretty bad last night. He and his mom are in the hospital with him right now. But, he should be here on Monday,” she stated. 

Juli’s heart sank. She felt so bad for him. She couldn’t even begin to imagine what would happen if she were in his shoes. Well, there was Elliot, but thinking about that right now would not deem well for her focus in class, or her grades. 

“Poor Remi,” she said. “I hope he’s okay, maybe we can go over there later and surprise him at his house. We can work on our group project for Science. I can text him and ask before Mme. Bonaparte comes in.”

“Sounds good, I’ll ask Alex if he can come along,” Rina responded, turning away from Juliette to face her boyfriend.    
  


“Hey Alex, you wanna come over to Remi’s place later to work on the science project after school? Well, if he says yes of course,” asked Rina.

“Yeah Rina, I’m down,” he responded. 

Hearing a buzz, Juliette looked down at her phone. 

_ Sorry, you guys will have to do the project elsewhere. _

“Well, he says no, but we can do the project at my house. I don’t think my family would mind,” Juli said, getting ever more worried about her friend. “We’ll just have to do it without Remi for the time being.”

~~~~~

Many hours later, Alex, Rina, and Juliette were in Juliette’s kitchen, a large poster board and craft supplies spread out on the table. “Soooo, where do we start?” asked Alex.

“I dunno, Remi’s usually the creative one! I guess we wing it and see how it goes?” suggested Juli.

“Hey! I have an idea, let’s see how it works,” said Rina. 

A couple of hours later, there was a colorful, glitter covered poster placed in between the friends.

“Not bad if I do say so myself,” Juli said. Just then, Rina looked down at her phone.

“Oh sorry guys, I gotta go. Alex, my mom says we can bring you home if you want,” Rina said.

“Cool, bye dude, see you on Monday,” said Alex, as he and Rina walked out the door. As soon as they left, Juliette made her way to her room. To her surprise, Chat Noir was sitting on her couch.

“Chat? What are you doing here?” she asked. No response. Upon closer inspection, he looked sort of… upset. “Umm, Chat? Are you… okay?” she asked. Yet again, no response. She sat down and put her arm around him. After a while, she heard a soft whisper from next to her.

“I… just had a bad day. We don’t have to watch a movie, but I just need a shoulder to lean on.” 

“Okay,” she said. Chat leaned his head on her shoulder, and she felt something wet hit her. He was crying.  _ What happened to my upbeat kitten _ , she thought.

“It’s okay Chat, I’m here. Don’t worry,” she whispered back.

“Thanks Juli, this means a lot to me.”

They sat there for hours, Juliette rubbing soothing circles with her palm on his shoulder. Eventually Juli felt his breath start to slow down and even out, meaning he had fallen asleep. Deciding not to wake him, she crept over to her bed, grabbed her spare blanket, and threw it over him. She then went back to her bed and fell asleep.


	8. Remi

_ Where am I, _ Remi thought. He could feel a squishy couch underneath him, and he was tangled up in a fuzzy blanket. He then looked around and spotted Juli, fast asleep in her bed.  _ Not again, I need to stop falling asleep here, she’s gonna figure out my identity _ . 

“Chat, is that you?” asked a half asleep Juliette.  _ Great _ . His thrashing woke her up.

“Yeah, it is, and right now I’m not transformed, so unless you want to discover who I am, close your eyes so I can transform back,” he said, trying not to panic.

“Actually, It’s too dark to see you, do you wanna come sit by me?” Juli asked.

“Uhhhm,” he said. Remi then hesitantly walked over to the window and opened it. “That’s okay. What time is it anyway? I should probably be heading home.”

“It is 2:30 in the morning. If you need to go that’s okay. I understand, just, stay safe Chat.” He could tell by the tone of her voice that she was worried about him. It broke his heart to leave so early, but he knew he had to be there for his mom and dad in the morning when his dad goes through his surgery. 

“Alright, bye Juli, see ya soon. Plagg, Claws Out!” Remi said, before climbing out the window.

~~~~~

Four hours later, Remi and his mom were sitting in the hospital waiting room, anxious to see Remi’s father. After what seemed like centuries, a nurse came into the room, beckoning for the two to come with her. 

When Remi saw his father, his heart swelled, both with sadness, and happiness. He had various hospital machines hooked up to him, but he looked healthier than he had since he got sick.

He had started getting sick about a few months ago. Back then it had just been a cough, but that cough had rapidly tumbled into Stage Three Lung and Throat Cancer. He had gone to the hospital that day for a lung transplant. Remi and his mother stayed by his side as long as the hospital allowed. Remi hated leaving his dad, but they needed to go. 

Remi needed a distraction, but not as Chat Noir. What he needed was the comfort of his friends. Pulling out his phone, he dialed Rina, Alex, and Juli, asking them if they wanted to go out for ice cream.

Thirty minutes later, Remi was sitting in a booth at a local ice cream parlor, waiting for his friends. The first one to arrive was Juli. She quickly ran over to Remi and gave him a big hug. 

“So, what do you want? Ice cream’s on me,” she said.

“What do you mean? I was going to pay for all of you guys,” he responded. Just then, Alex and Rina walked through the door, hand in hand, interrupting the two. Remi quickly raised his hand and waved them over.

“Hey dudes, what’s up?” asked Alex, addressing Juliette and Remi.

“Nothing much, I was just telling Remi how  _ I  _ was going to pay for all of the ice creams,” Juli said casually.

“So, mister, I ask again, what do you want?” asked Juli, once again addressing Remi. After her question, different flavors and orders were being shot at Juliette, from every person sitting at the table.

“Okay, Okay, one at a time please,” she said. “Remi, you first.”

“Uhmm, how about a brownie fudge sundae please,” he responded.

“Ooohh, I want a double scoop of cookies and cream please,” piped in Alex.

“And, I’ll get a banana split shake,” added Rina. 

“Coming right up,” said Juli. After Juliette had gotten up to order, Alex and Rina bombarded Remi with questions.

“So, how’s your dad doing? Is he okay?” questioned Rina.

“How are you and your mom doing? Do you want to sleep over tonight, maybe pull an all-nighter?” Asked Alex.

“Uhh, my dad’s doing good, he’s okay, me and mom are fine, and, I’ll pass on the sleepover, sorry dude,” Remi responded. Just as he finished speaking, Juliette walked up, balancing the food in her arms.

“Okay, Rina, here’s your shake, Alex, your cone, and Remi, your sundae,” she said, placing everything in front of the corresponding person, and then finally sitting down next to Remi, a simple chocolate shake in her hand. 

The next hours passed with lots of laughter and jokes. This was exactly what Remi needed. An afternoon spent at an ice cream parlor with his best friends in the entire universe, plus, extra time with his beloved Juliette.


	9. Juliette

On her way home from the ice cream parlor, Juliette decided to stop by the park as Ladybug to burn off some extra ice cream calories, as well as play with some of the kids. After transforming, she spotted a group of kindergartners running sitting in a sloppy circle a few yards away. She walked up to them and tapped a little girl on the shoulder.

“Hello there, do you guys wanna play a game of tag with me?” Ladybug asked.

“Yeah!” the little girl said.

“Alrighty then, you’re it!” she told the little girl, tapping her on the shoulder and running away, motioning for the other kids to follow her. 

An hour or so later, Ladybug was thoroughly exhausted. “Sorry everyone, I gotta bounce. Bug Out!” she said, before zipping away using her yoyo. 

Back at home Juliette grabbed a sandwich for a quick snack and went upstairs to take a nap.

~

Juliette was awakened from her nap abruptly by Tikki tickling her nose with her antennae. “Juliette, it’s time to wake up, your mother wants you to help her with dinner!” her little friend exclaimed.

“Alright, alright, I’ll get up, stop tickling me,” Juli said. She swung her legs over the side of her bed and slid her feet into her slippers. 

When she reached the bottom floor, she immediately smelled cheese. 

“Mmmm, are we having macaroni, mama?” Juliette asked, sniffing the air.

“Correct, and chocolate croissants for dessert. That’s what I wanted you down here for, to make the croissants. I know how much you love to help me with them, so I’m letting you make them by yourself tonight. I will not help you with anything,” her mother said.

“Thank you, I can’t believe you’re trusting me with your beloved kitchen,” Juli exclaimed, a slight sarcastic tone in her voice. “Is Tommy going to help make a salad or something? You know how picky he is with the dressing and what goes in the salad.”

“No, he’s up at his place, studying. tonight. You know how he is. So it is just you, me, and your father.”

“Oh, okay.” She couldn’t hide her disappointment. She felt she was slipping away from her brother. He had gotten so secretive, always away doing something, never home. He would barely even talk to her anymore. They used to tell each other everything, but now? He was always stuck up in his room or apartment, shut off from everyone. She missed him tremendously, but she would deal with her feelings later. Right now she had to make some croissants.

Croissants were always difficult to make, but they were Juliette’s specialty. When she got older she wanted to open a family bakery, so she could share her pastries with all of Paris instead of just her family and friends. Chat in particular. Sometimes, she would steal some from the fridge for him when he came around.

_ Focus on the food Juli _ , she scolded herself. If she screwed up on these, her mom would never let her bake them by herself until she was an adult. She did  _ not  _ want that to happen. 

Dinner passed with small conversation. By the time Juliette had finished helping her father with dishes, she was completely, and utterly bored. “Hey papa, wanna get beaten at Ultimate Mecha Strike III?” Juliette asked, itching to end her state of boredom.

“You’re on, Juliette,” he said. Juliette could hear the determination in his voice.

~~~~~

Juliette woke abruptly sometime on Saturday afternoon. She had stayed up until the early hours of the morning playing Ultimate Mecha Strike III with her father. Just then, Juliette heard a weird noise coming from down the street.  _ There _ . “That’s the noise that woke me up,” exclaimed Juli, addressing Tikki, who was hovering in front of her face. 

“Don’t worry Juliette, it’s probably nothing,” Tikki said. 

“Well, what if it’s an Akuma? What if it’s already too late?” she pestered. 

“Calm down Juliette, why don’t you go check?” suggested Tikki.   
  


“You’re right. Tikki, Spots On!!”

Two minutes later, Juliette was on the roof of her home, scouting out the sure to be Akumatized villain. But instead, she spotted Chat Noir bounding over to her. 

“Well hello, M’Lady, fancy seeing you here,” Chat purred. Ladybug rolled her eyes.

“No time for charming me Chaton, we need to get this villain,” Ladybug said, booping her Kitten on the nose playfully.

“Alright M’Lady, let’s do this,” said Chat, determination in his voice.

~~~~~

“Pound it,” the duo said in unison. It turned out, the villain had a bad dream, thus turning her into Night-Mare, a Centaur who went around turning everyone’s worst fears into reality, making Paris utter chaos. It was a particularly difficult fight, but the two pulled through like they always did. 

They were currently standing on a secluded rooftop. When Ladybug looked up at Chat, she realized he looked kind of...nervous.

“Chat, are you okay? What’s on your mind?” Ladybug asked. What was wrong with him lately?

“I’m fine, it’s just… I can’t take it anymore,” he said, choosing to look down, instead of at Ladybug. “I...I know who you are. As a civilian I mean. Please don’t get mad at me for not telling you sooner, I just couldn’t… I didn’t want Hawkmoth to use our identities against us, and I was afraid of your reaction, if I’m honest. What if you were mad that I knew your identity but didn’t tell you or reveal myself as well?”

“Chat, I’m not mad at you. At least you told me when you were ready, but-” Ladybug was suddenly interrupted by a flash of blinding green light. Standing in front of her was Remi Roux, a sheepish look on his face.

“Surprise?” Remi said.

Ladybug was shocked, to say the least. “Are you disappointed? Stop being so quiet, you’re making me nervous!” he said, attempting a light laugh but falling short.

“Sorry Remi, this just…. Isn’t what I expected. But I’m not disappointed, I actually see the connection between you and Chat,” Ladybug said, smiling a little. Remi then walked up and enveloped her in a massive hug.

“Thank you, Juliette,” he whispered in her ear before pulling away. “Plagg, Claws Out! Bye Jules, I gotta go, see you tomorrow,” Chat said, before turning to go. 

“Bye Remi,” she said, her smile getting bigger. She might just grow to like her nickname.


	10. Remi

“ Come on kid, time to wake up,” Remi heard a snarky voice say. “Your alarm has been going off for five minutes already,”

“Okay okay Plagg, I’ll get up,” said Remi, sliding out of bed and groaning slightly. He did  _ not _ like mornings, or Mondays. It had been an entire day since he last spoke to Juliette.

Fifteen minutes later, Remi was sitting in front of a plate of long since abandoned waffles. He couldn’t wait to see Juliette, although he was a bit nervous to see how she would act. Coming to the conclusion that he wouldn’t be able to stomach the waffles, Remi decided to grab a banana to go and call it good. He then grabbed his bag and walked over to the door. “Mom, I’m ready to go!” Remi yelled towards the staircase. 

“I’ll be down in a second, go ahead and get in the car!” his mother called back.

A couple of minutes later, Remi was in the front seat of his mother’s vehicle, his backpack resting in his lap. His mother quickly got into the driver’s seat and started the engine. 

The car ride to school was fairly quiet, both Remi and his mother still tired. When she pulled up, he planted a quick kiss on her cheek and got out.

“Bye mom,” Remi said, looking over his shoulder and waving at his mother. When he turned around, he spotted Juli walking up the stairs. For once, Rina was absent from her side. Remi crept up behind her and put his hands over her eyes. “Guess who, Bugaboo,” he said, trying to keep himself from bursting into a fit of laughter. Instead of responding to him, Juliette took his hands from her eyes and placed them around her waist, turning the little game into a hug. She then took hold of his right hand, and led him to their lockers. “Well then, I see I had no reason to worry about your reaction, Jules,” Remi said..

“Wait, were you worried I was gonna ignore you?” Juli asked.

“Umm, something like that, yeah,” Remi responded sheepishly, scratching the back of his head with the hand not occupied with one of Juliette’s. 

“My poor, sweet Kitten, have you been worrying about this all night?” she asked, letting go of Remi’s hand so he could access the contents of his locker. 

“Maybe? I know it was stupid, but...” Remi said.

“I’m just joking Remi, don’t worry. If I were you, I probably would’ve acted the same way. Come on, let’s get to class, you know how angry Mme. Bonaparte gets when someone’s late,” Juli said, starting her route to Science.

~~~~~

Finally, the last period of the day had concluded, and Remi was itching to go home. He had a ton of homework to complete, due to the fact that he was absent on Friday. “Bye Jules, see you tomorrow, or maybe later, depending on Hawkmoth,” Remi said, giving her a quick hug before walking to his car. 

“Bye Remi!” Juliette called after him as she got into her car. He waved at her until the car had turned the corner and his beloved girl was out of sight. 

When Remi walked through the door, he went to find his mom to tell her he was home. She wasn’t in her bedroom, the living room, kitchen, outside, anywhere. He finally found her in his room, crying over the phone. He walked in.

“Mom? What’s up? Why are you crying?” he asked.

“That was a call from the hospital. The surgery went well as you know, but this morning your father slipped into a coma. I’m sorry Remi. They said to prepare for the worst.” At this point she broke down, her shoulders shaking from silent sobs. He just stood there in the doorway, not knowing what to do. They always say that the dad is the rock. But for Remi, his _ mom _ was his rock. He had never seen her cry before. It broke his heart to see her this way. 

When Remi’s mother left his room, he collapsed onto his bed and burst into tears, longing for somebody to comfort him. He decided to text Alex what had happened, trusting him to tell the rest of his friends.

While working on his homework, Remi heard a light tap on his door. It was his mom, bringing dinner. He had been working so hard that he hadn’t realized how hungry he was. “Thanks mom, are you feeling any better?” Remi asked.

“You’re welcome honey, I’m feeling a bit better, how are  _ you  _ feeling?” she responded.

“Well, homework helped me keep my mind off dad, and now I’m pretty hungry,” he told his mother.

“Well then, I’ll leave you to it. Have a good night Remi dear,” Remi’s mother said, kissing the top of his head before leaving his room and shutting the door behind her. Remi quickly ate his dinner and went to get ready for bed, leaving behind a large piece of Camembert cheese for Plagg to munch on. Remi fell asleep with thoughts of Juliette and his father still in his head.


	11. Juliette

On Tuesday morning, Juliette woke up with a massive headache and chills, and her body hurt all over. Grudgingly sliding out of bed, she went into the hall and grabbed the thermometer from the medicine drawer. She took off the cap and placed it under her tongue. When it beeped, she took it out of her mouth. The thermometer read 38°. Juli was sick, there was no doubt about that. Juli was about to call for her mother and tell her that she had a fever, but before she got the chance, she collapsed onto the floor and everything went black.

When Juli woke up, she was in her bed, her mother and father bent over her body. “Mama, papa, what happened?” she asked, when she was conscious enough.

“Well, I heard a thump coming from upstairs, so I got your father. When he got up here, he saw you lying on the floor next to a thermometer reading 38°, so he carried you to your bed. We both have to go to work, but Thomas has a class free day so he volunteered to watch you,” her mother said. Juliette lit up at the thought of spending time with her brother for one full day. Thomas hadn’t taken care of Juli when she was sick since she was a little girl, so she was ecstatic that he was leaving his studying behind to take care of his little sister. 

The moment she heard the front door open, a smile spread across her face. “Tommy, I’m up here!” Juliette called. She then heard a stomping noise as her brother came running up the stairs. In a matter of seconds, Thomas Chasse was standing before Juliette with his hands on his knees, breathing heavily. 

“Hey Julibug, I hear you have a fever,” Thomas said, walking over to his sister and giving her a hug. He then put his hand up to her forehead. When he touched her forehead, she started shivering, suddenly cold.“Wow, no kidding, you’re burning up. Let me take your temperature again.”

When Thomas took it out from under her tongue, it read 39°. “Hmm, what did it read when you took it earlier, because right now it reads 39°?” he asked. 

“Well, earlier it read 38°,” she told her brother. “Also, I’m getting kind of hungry, can you make me some soup?”

“As you wish, little sis,” Thomas said, exiting the room. 

When Tommy came back, he placed the steamy bowl of chicken noodle goodness in front of her. Hearing a ding, Thomas looked down at his smart watch. “Oh darn it,” he said, looking back at Juli. “I gotta go. Sorry kid, feel better.” He turned back, an apologetic look etched on his face.

Juli’s heart sunk. “What happened? Who needs you?” she asked, desperate to have a few more minutes with her beloved brother. She hated that he had to leave so soon, but if someone needed Thomas, she had to let him go. “Well, bye then. Love you Tommy.”

“Love you too Julibug.” With that he walked out of her bedroom. A minute later Juli heard the front door open and close as her brother got in his car and drove away.

“You shouldn’t be upset Juliette,” Tikki said as she flew out of her hiding place. “I know he loves you. He only left because it was an emergency.”

“Your right Tikki, I shouldn’t… wait, did you hear that? I think there’s an Akuma. What am I going to do? I have a fever!” Juliette exclaimed. She was starting to feel worse and worse and so was her headache. Whether it was from the fever or panic, she didn’t know.

“All you can do is try, Juliette! Don’t panic, you can do this!” Tikki said, trying to boost Juli’s mood.

“Okay then… Tikki, Spots On!”

When Ladybug reached the roof, she realized it was oddly hot and sunny out. Odd for a December day in Paris. Shielding her eyes from the scorching sun, Ladybug searched for her partner. When she looked to her left, she saw Chat Noir bounding towards her.  _ He must be burning up in his black suit _ , she thought. When Chat reached her, Ladybug was confused to see that he didn’t look hot in the slightest, but she was certainly burning up.

“Hey Ladybug,” Chat said.

“Hi Kitty,” Ladybug responded, panting slightly from the heat. “Are you hot as well?” 

“Well I  _ am _ good-looking, but I doubt that was what you were questioning. The suit is actually keeping me cool, but I don’t think I can say the same for you,” Chat said, gesturing to the beads of sweat rolling down her face. “I noticed you weren’t at school today. Are you okay?”

“I- I have a fever,” Ladybug said, sitting down. She was starting to get dizzy again, and didn’t want to risk falling off of the roof. “I don’t think I’ll be able to manage this villain, Remi. I think you might have to do this alone.”

“Wow, you must really be sick Bugaboo, you never sit out a fight,” Chat said, reaching down to cup her chin in his hand. “Just let me do this solo, and you can finish this up by cleansing the Akuma, deal?”

“Deal. Stay safe Chat,” Ladybug said. Chat bounded away, off to fight the person who caused this unbearable heat.

~

Every time Chat took a hit from Sunburner, Ladybug felt a pang in her heart. Finally, she saw a little black butterfly attempting an escape. Seizing her chance, Ladybug stood up and caught the Akuma in her yoyo.

“Bye-bye little butterfly,” she said, as she watched the now harmless white insect flutter away. When the butterfly was no more than a white dot, Ladybug felt the air start to cool down rapidly, and the brightness of the sun started to fade slightly, clouds reappearing and covering the sky. Exhausted, she flopped back down, just as Chat reached her. He then bent down and scooped her up in his arms.

“No objections Bugaboo, I’m taking you to my room until you feel better.” Chat said, leaping from rooftop to rooftop. When they reached his house, he leapt through the open window and laid Ladybug onto his bed. “Don’t move, I’m going to go get you a cool towel to put on your forehead. Claws In.”

“Spots off,” Ladybug said softly. Juliette then sat up and pulled her knees to her chest, and put her head down, Just as Remi returned with a damp towel and some crackers. He then went over and sat down next to her, handing her the food and the washcloth. “Thanks Remi, although I don’t think I can keep any food down.”

“Well, keep them here just in case. Do you need anything else, Bugaboo?” Remi asked, putting his arm around Juliette’s shoulder. 

“Actually, I’m kinda tired, do you mind if I take a nap?”

“Of course Jules, I’ll wake you up when It’s time for you to leave, deal?”

“Deal. Goodnight, I guess? Anyways, see you when I wake up.” Juliette then placed the cool towel over her eyes and lay down, drifting into a peaceful and uninterrupted sleep.


	12. Remi

_ She looks so peaceful when she’s asleep _ , Remi thought to himself. BEEP BEEP! He looked down at his watch. It read 4:45. Wanting a clever way to awake the girl from her slumber, he slipped into the bathroom to transform, also needing his alter ego to return Juliette to her home. When he was once again Chat Noir, he snuck back into his bedroom, and placed his face inches from hers. He then gently blew on her face, waking the girl from her feverish dreamland. Juliette was obviously startled to see a boy with a black mask inches away from her face, but she made a feeble attempt at hiding it.

“I’m guessing it’s time for me to split?” she asked, still groggy. 

“Correct. Hold on tight, I’m going to carry you. I don’t trust you to get home by yourself in your sick state,” Chat said, scooping up the messy-haired girl in his arms, and leaping out the window. 

“So, I never got to ask you, How’s your dad doing?” Juliette asked. His heart sank. Alex must’ve forgotten to text her.

“Well, um…” Chat said, resisting the urge to cry. “I guess Alex didn’t tell you. The surgery went well, but he slipped into a coma shortly after. We don’t know when, or even  _ if _ , he’ll wake up.”

Chat was so glad he was able to say all that with a straight face and without crying in front of Juliette. She needed him to be strong right now.  _ He _ needed him to be strong right now. “Oh Remi, I’m so sorry! Just let me know if you need a shoulder to cry on. Or, a movie night with your Bugaboo,” Juliette said. At this point, tears started silently falling down Chat’s face. It made his heart swell at the fact that somebody other than his mother cared about him, even  _ more _ than just a friend. Feeling more pressure around his chest, he looked down. Juliette had seen his tears and gripped him harder. 

Looking back up, Chat spotted Juliette’s house. He carefully opened the window and climbed inside, placing Juli onto her bed. “I gotta go, will I see you at school tomorrow?” Chat asked

“Well, that nap was refreshing and I do feel tons better, but let’s see how I feel in the morning,” she responded.

“Well, I’ll see you when I see you, I guess,” Chat said, before placing a quick kiss atop her head and leaping out the window. He could hear Juliette yelling something at him from behind, but he was too far away by then to make out any clear words. Turning back around, Chat raced the clock back to his room, hoping his mother didn’t realise he was gone, or that he had a girl lying on his bed for four hours, asleep. But when he slipped in through the window, he was relieved to see that nobody was in the room besides himself. 

“Claws in,” Chat whispered, before walking to his bathroom to take a cold shower. 

Amidst the cool artificial raindrops falling onto his skin, Remi allowed his thoughts to run free. He thought mainly about his father, and secondly, Juli. She was quite possibly his favorite person at the moment, because his mother seemed mentally numb to the outside world. Remi wished Juliette were still by his side. He missed the warmth of her body next to him, and the smell of her coconut shampoo. Yawning, Remi turned off the water and grabbed his towel, stepping out of the shower. With the towel wrapped around his waist, he quickly exited the bathroom and grabbed his pajamas, slipping them on before hanging the towel up and walking out of his room and down the stairs, ready for the delicious meal he hoped his mother would make. 

Hopeful, Remi peeked into the kitchen, but his excitement quickly melted away when he saw that his mother was nowhere to be found. “Humph. I was hoping your mother would have an extravagant, cheesy meal cooking, but I guess I was wrong,” huffed Plagg, hovering near Remi’s shoulder.

“Oh shut up Plagg, there’s some Camembert in the cabinet. Go help yourself,” Remi responded, rolling his eyes. Knowing his mother wouldn’t eat that night unless he cooked, Remi got to work. Thirty minutes later, there was an average looking pizza sitting in front of him, covered in sausage and gooey cheddar cheese. Cutting a few slices for him and his mom and putting them on plates, Remi carried the food upstairs. When he reached his mother’s room, he knocked on the door a couple of times. No answer. He knocked again.  _ Still _ no answer. Trying the handle, he slowly pushed the door open. There on the bed lay Remi’s mother, sound asleep. Not wanting to disturb her, he quietly walked over to the bedside table and placed the pizza in front of the lamp. He then retreated to the doorway and went to his own room, shutting the door behind him. 

Having nothing to do, Remi turned the TV on, channel surfing with nothing in particular in mind to watch. Coming to the conclusion that there would be nothing remotely interesting on this late, Remi turned off the TV and went to his desk, working on a bit of homework he needed to complete. Drained of all energy from the day, as well as the fact that it was one in the morning, Remi trudged to bed and fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.

~~~~~

BEEP BEEP BEEP!! Remi reached over and slammed his hand down upon his alarm clock, putting an abrupt end to the irksome sound. Groaning, he slipped out of bed and grabbed some clothes, slipping them on before exiting and going downstairs to the kitchen, where to his surprise, his mother was busy making blueberry muffins and scrambled eggs. Remi’s stomach started growling at the heavenly scent wafting through the kitchen. Grabbing a plate piled with food, Remi sat down at the table with a glass of orange juice. When his mother had sat down across from him, he dug in, placing his plate in the sink once he had finished. Running back up to his room, he grabbed his backpack and slipped on his orange converse high tops. He hastily ran a brush through his tangled hair then went back downstairs. “Bye Mom!” Remi yelled as he ran out the door.

“Bye Remi dear, have a good day!” she called back.

When he had closed the door Remi was en route not for school, but for the nearest Starbucks. After he had ordered a Grande Iced Vanilla Chai Tea Latte, he scanned the room for an open seat. His eyes then rested on a girl with her dark caramel hair in a small french braid. Smiling, Remi walked over to her and placed his hand on her shoulder lightly. Jumping slightly, she turned to face Remi, smiling when she realized who it was. “Hey Bugaboo,” Remi said.

“Hey kitty, I hear we’re getting a new student today,” Juliette said, motioning for Remi to sit across from her and her hot chocolate. Just as he sat down, he heard the barista at the counter call his name. Begrudgingly, he got up to get his latte, then went back to the table to sit down. 

“Huh. I guess I  _ didn’t _ hear that. What’s their name?” he asked, taking off the lid so the drink could cool down. “Also, I guess you’re feeling better today, aren’t you?”

“Yep. Her name is Valerie Lacoste,” Juliette said, sipping on her cocoa.

“Lets hope she takes a liking to somebody other than Lavinia, we don’t need  _ another _ bully in our class.” Remi said, just as his phone buzzed. It was from Alex, asking where he was, saying school was about to start. “Oops, we better hurry. That was Alex saying class is about to start. I totally lost track of time!”

And with that, Remi grabbed Juliette’s hand and pulled her out of her seat, both of them bolting to the door, desperate not to be late to class yet again.


	13. Juliette

Juliette was thoroughly out of breath by the time she reached Mme. Bonaparte’s room. As soon as she walked through the door, she spotted Valerie. She stood out, with her light orange hair and blue eyes. Much to Juli’s dismay, Valerie was indeed conversing with Lavinia. But as soon as Remi entered behind her, Valerie came bounding up, an eager look in her eyes. “Well hello there, I’m Valerie,” she said, addressing Remi and completely ignoring Juliette.

“Uhm, I’m Remi, nice to meet you,” he said, a little taken aback at her forward attitude. He then proceeded to go to his seat and sat down, Valerie following suit and sitting right next to him. 

“Umm, Dude, that’s where I sit,” Alex said to Valerie. Valerie smiled.

“Well, I have Tinnitus, a constant ringing in my ear, so in order for me to hear what Mme. Bonaparte is saying, I need to sit at the front of the room,” Valerie said, scooting closer to Remi. 

“Umm, how about I go and sit by Juliette behind you, and I guess Alex and Rina can find a place to sit,” Remi responded instead of Alex. Feeling her face go hot, she sat down in her usual spot, but instead of Rina sliding in next to her, it was Remi. She had her hand on the bench next to her, and it was startling when she felt weight and warmth on top of it. Juli looked up to see Remi staring at her, and his face went as red as hers felt.  _ Dang, he’s cute _ , she thought. Looking forward it was quick but Juli could have sworn she saw Valerie and Lavinia glare at her. 

“Good morning class, please turn to page 287,” Mme. Bonaparte said, quieting the students. Sighing, Juliette turned on her tablet, went to the designated page, and started reading.

~

Finally, the bell signaling the end of class rang. Grabbing her stuff, Juliette exited the room, on her way to Language Arts. Looking at the board as she entered the room, she saw that the class needed to get into partners. Seeing Alex and Rina already together, Juli saw no other suitable friend available. When Remi finally walked through the door, she waved him over. “So, we have to be in pairs, and Alex and Rina are already together, so you wanna be partners?”

“Sure,” he responded, sitting next to Juli. “I mean, we’ve already proved we can work together pretty darn well.” 

“Good Morning students,” M. Ollier said, addressing the class. They responded with a monotonous “Good morning” in return. “Today you and your partner will be making a poster on a superhero. It can be over any superhero ever, whether they are real, like Ladybug, or completely fictional, like Spider-Man. The poster needs to include a picture of the hero or heroine, and other information such as their superpowers and things like that. It needs to be colorful and creative. We will be presenting them at the start of class tomorrow, so if you don’t finish today in class, you will need to get together with your partner after school or tomorrow morning before class starts. Now get to work please.“

“So, who do you want to do?” Juliette asked, turning to face Remi. She had a pretty good feeling he wanted to do Chat, but she wanted to make sure. 

Grinning, he responded in a sarcastic tone, “Gee, I dunno, maybe Chat Noir?”

Julie burst into laughter, “You are so predictable! You realize we could do it over any miraculous in the miracle box because all of them have been used at least once.”

It took Remi a little bit to think this over. “I still say we do Chat Noir.”

“Okay, we can do Chat. Just thought you should know. I wonder who Rina and Alex are doing? I guess we will find out tomorrow,” Juli said. “So, where exactly do we begin?”

“Hmmm, maybe list his powers and abilities?” Remi suggested.

Pulling the poster-board closer to her, Juliette began to write down the information Remi was giving her.

With five minutes left in class, Remi and Juliette assessed the amount they had gotten finished. With everything except the drawing done, they decided on working at Juliette’s house after school. 

~

When the end-of-the-day bell rang, the duo headed for the doors, eager to work on their Superhero Project. They walked the short distance in companionable silence. They took a small detour to Juliette's kitchen for some chocolate croissants and milk, they then headed up her room, Remi sitting on Juli’s chaise and her at her desk, facing each other. “So, how am I supposed to sketch Chat? Should I google an image, or…?” Juliette stated.

“I have one of my own. Plagg, Claws Out!” in an instant, Remi had gone from a modest, kind, teenage boy, to a goofy, wild haired, superhero. “Well, how does this look?” Chat asked, striking a ridiculous pose, showing off his muscles.

Giggling and turning slightly red, Juliette responded, “Maybe something more natural, and less...”

“Whatever do you mean? This is natural!” Chat said in mock curiosity. He then took her advice and chose a pose that made him look like he was mid-fight, due to the look he got from Juli. Trying not to think about how cute he looked, Juliette got to sketching. When she finished, she held the picture up for Chat to comment on, grinning at her work. “What do you think?”

“I think it totally captures my beauty,” he said. Hearing a buzz, Remi took his phone out of his pocket and checked the text he had received. 

“It- it’s from my mother,” he said, looking back up. “She’s waiting outside in the car. We’re going to visit my dad, I totally forgot.” exiting her room, they both went downstairs. Remi gave her a quick squeeze before opening the door and walking out, waving at her before turning around and getting into the passenger seat.


	14. Remi

Remi sighed as he looked out the car window. He wasn’t ready to see his father yet, in his state. Remi hadn’t gone with his mother to see him once he had slipped into the coma, for fear of what he looked like. 

When they reached the hospital, they parked the car and went inside. Remi wrinkled his nose at the odor. The hospital smelled like bleach and other disinfectants. Remi and his mother then sat down, patiently waiting for a nurse to call for them. 

Remi’s insides squirmed as they approached the room. As soon as the nurse opened the door, he ran over to his father, enveloping him in a hug he more than likely couldn’t notice. The two sat there alongside him, planning to spend the night, when a different nurse burst into the room, out of breath. “I’m terribly sorry to interrupt you three, but I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

Remi’s mother stood up quickly, almost knocking the cup of water beside her over in the process. “And why should we? This is  _ my  _ husband, and my son’s father, so why should we leave his side?”

“Well, there’s been a new development,” the nurse replied, gesturing to M. Roux. “His heart rate has dropped a significant amount, so we need to take some tests to evaluate what has happened.”

Overcome with emotion, Remi fled from the scene, having no particular destination in mind. He stopped outside a bathroom, completely and utterly lost. He went over to the sink and practically collapsed over it, tears pouring down his face, shoulders shaking. He stayed there, in front of that sink, for what seemed like hours, until a voice cut through his tears, seeming to come from inside his own head. “Rester, I am Hawkmoth. Your father is slipping into an ever deeper sleep, so I am giving you the power to put people to sleep. The only thing I ask in return, is for Ladybug and Chat Noir’s Miraculous. Do we have a deal?”

“Yes Hawkmoth.” 

With new strength and passion, Remi, now Rester, burst out of the restroom, lightly tapping every person he passed with his staff, making each one of them fall asleep and sink to the ground. “Where are you Ladybug?” Rester called, on the roof of the hospital. 

“Right behind you,” Ladybug said, whipping out her yoyo. “So what is it this time? A girl didn’t return your feelings? Somebody insult you in some way?” She inquired, aiming another hit.

“Sorry M’Lady, It’s personal,” Rester said, fighting back. It took him a moment to realize his slip of the tongue, but the damage was done. Ladybug put both hands to her mouth, as tears pooled under her eyes. 

“Grab her Miraculous, Rester, at her moment of weakness! Wait for Chat Noir to show up so you can take his as well.” Rester heard Hawkmoth’s voice inside his head once again, guiding him what to do. 

“I don’t think Chat will show up for this battle,” Rester replied coolly, resuming the battle with Ladybug. Now more determined than ever, Ladybug called her Lucky Charm. A pillow fell down into her arms. He saw her look around, then back down at the pillow. Tucking it under her arm, she zipped off in the opposite direction, Rester losing sight of her quickly. Taking an opportunity to make more people fall asleep, Rester hopped down to the ground. 

“Hey Rester, up here!” Ladybug shouted. He looked up to see a bunch of feathers zooming towards his face, making him sneeze rapidly. His staff shot out of his hands, and Ladybug caught it midair. Breaking the staff by stomping on it, the Akuma flew out, Ladybug catching it in her yoyo before it got too far away. “Bye bye, little butterfly.” Throwing her empty pillow into the air, the Miraculous Ladybugs fixed all the damage Rester had caused, and woke up the people he had made fall asleep. 

Remi looked up, confused as to why he was on the sidewalk. Turning around, he saw Ladybug running towards him. She bent down, the pooled tears now falling freely as she scooped Remi in her arms and leapt away. “Do you want to tell me what happened Kitty?” she asked.

“The chances of my father waking up are getting smaller and smaller. When me and my mother were visiting him, we were shooed out, because his heart levels dropped significantly.”

“Poor Kitten, how about movies and a pillow fort at my place, sound good?” Ladybug asked. 

“Mhmm,” he responded, sniffling. 

When they had reached Juliette’s house, Ladybug pushed open the window and jumped inside, detransforming in the process. “Let me choose the movie this time, okay? How about you get the blankets and pillows out of that chest, sound good?” Juliette asked.

“Okay Bugaboo.” Remi was still slightly ashamed of being Akumatized, even though it was all Hawkmoth’s fault. 

Both Remi and Juliette’s energy was drained by the time they had finished assembling the pillow fort to trump all pillow forts. They crawled into the pillow fort and found a comfortable spot to lay, Juliette grabbing the remote to start The Princess Bride; the movie chosen for the night to cheer Remi up. 

A little way through the movie, Remi decided to express a thought that had been nagging him for a while. “Jules?”

“Hmm?” she said, pausing the movie. “What’s up?”

“What-” knowing the girl beside him would help him through this, he went on. “What if my father doesn’t wake up? What if his condition just gets worse and worse, and-”

“Hey,” Jule responded softly. “If that indeed does happen, I’ll be by your side the entire time, no matter what happens. I promise.” She paused looking down.

“You know, when I was ten, I went through something similar. I had an older brother, his name was Elliot.” Remi just sat there, not sure what to say. He had never heard of Elliot before. “He was sick,” Julliette continued. “A rare disease that runs in my family called Ventriosis. I didn’t understand back then why.” She cut off, her eyes shining with unshed tears. “He committed suicide. He said that he wanted death to be something that he could control. Thomas was especially heartbroken. They were more than brothers. They were best friends.”

She finally looked up at Remi, an inkling of a smile on her face for some reason. “I got through it with the help of my family and friends. And if worse comes to worse, you’ll have me to help you. We can do this.  _ Together. _ ”

Remi’s heart filled with warmth. He still had one more question to ask, hoping with all his heart for one specific answer. “Well, if that’s the case, will you… go out with me Juliette?” Remi felt his face go hot, and was probably as red as hers looked at the moment. 

“Of course Chaton.” Juliette’s face then lit up with the most genuine smile he had ever seen. 

With fingers intertwined, Remi and Juliette fell asleep, confident this would be a memory neither person would forget.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ventriosis is completely and one hundred percent made up, by one of my lovely friends.


	15. Juliette

Juliette woke up Thursday morning to the sound of rain. Laying next to her was Remi Roux, looking peaceful as he slept. A quick check of her phone told her it was three in the morning, indicating she still had three and a half hours until she needed to get up. Juliette sat up, and gently shook awake her partner. “Hey Kitty, how’d you sleep?” she asked him. 

“Pretty good, what about you? What time is it?” He responded, still groggy from sleep. 

“It’s three. I hate to say this, but I think you should probably leave, to go back to your own room. Your mom doesn’t know you’re gone, and my parents don’t know that you’re here either. Also, I slept well,” Juli responded, smiling brightly. 

“Yeah, you’re right. Plagg, Claws Out!” he said softly. After Remi transformed, he walked over to Juliette and planted a quick kiss on her cheek before walking over to the window and swinging it open, but just before he left, Juliette heard him whisper a barely audible, “I love you,” before he slipped out the window into the rain dawn. 

“I love you too,” she said softly, but he was already too far gone to hear it.

Sighing, Juliette crawled into her bed and fell back asleep, only to be abruptly woken up what felt like minutes later by her mother. “Good morning honey, how did you sleep?” her mother inquired.

“I slept well,” she responded, sliding out of bed after her mother closed the door. She quickly got dressed in a simple navy blue dress, black leggings, and some light pink booties, pulling her hair up into a neat bun atop her head. 

Running down the stairs, she snagged two muffins from her mother, grabbed her umbrella, Remi’s umbrella, and her backpack. She quickly kissed her parents and brother goodbye before walking out the door and closing it behind her. 

When Juliete reached the school, she quickly slipped inside. When she spotted Rina, she walked over to her and handed her friend the extra muffin. “Hey Rina,” Juli said. 

“Hey Juliette,” she responded. As they were talking, Alex walked up, and in his wake was a soaking wet Remi. 

“Oh my gosh Remi, I still have your umbrella!” Juliette exclaimed, pulling it out of her bag and handing it to him.

“Thanks, I’ll need that later,” he said, accepting it gratefully. Just then, the bell signaling the start of class rang, inviting the students to class. 

Hand in hand, Remi and Juliette followed close behind Rina and Alex. “Oooh, what did I miss?” Rina inquired, gesturing at the two holding hands. Both faces went red as Remi responded.

“Well, uhmm, yesterday, I asked Juliette out, and well, obviously she said yes!” he said nervously.

“But I thought-” Rina was cut off by the death stare Juliette shot, quieting the rest of her sentence. The last thing Juliette wanted was for Remi to find out about her, frankly embarrassing, crush on his alter ego. When they entered the classroom, All four teens drifted their eyes towards Lavinia. It was no secret the girl had a massive crush on Remi, and they were all eager to see her reaction to the two holding hands. 

Remi and Juliette made it all of two seconds before Lavinia noticed. Her eyes lit up at the sight of Remi, then narrowed as she glanced at their hands. “REMI! What are you doing holding hands with  _ HER _ ? Why  _ Chasse _ of all people? Ugh, ridiculous, utterly ridiculous,” she shouted, grabbing the attention of the entire class. 

Juliette sniggered under her breath. She looked around at the applauding class and she thought she saw Jasper hand Leondra a Euro and Quincy punch the air. But, when Mme. Bonaparte entered the room, she reluctantly let go and took her place behind Remi.

~

The day dragged by and before she knew it the last bell had rung. A quick glance out the window and Juliette took her umbrella out of her bag. It was pouring again and she was not about to get wet. She sighed, stepping out into the cold rain and opening the umbrella. “Hey, forget about me?” a voice questioned from behind. 

“Oh my gosh Remi, I’m so sorry!” Juliette exclaimed, turning around. She wasn’t quite used to having someone to walk home with, as Rina lived in the opposite direction from the school. 

He laughed. “It’s okay, mom’s working late today so I get to walk with you!” Remi fell into step beside Juli, grabbing her hand as they walked. “Do you mind if I drop by later?”

“Oh uhm, sure? Like as you or Chat?” Juliette inquired. 

“As Chat, unless you’re ready for me to officially meet your parents as your boyfriend?” he said, a cheeky grin appearing on his face. 

Juliette went red. She wasn’t quite ready to tell her parents she was dating, especially given her  _ slightly _ overprotective dad. “I uhh- Chat would be best,” she managed to get out. 

“Alrighty, see ya later then!” Remi gave her hand a squeeze before turning the corner to his home. Once he had disappeared around the corner, Juliette slipped the key out from her pocket and put it in the door, slipping into her own. She was greeted by hugs from her parents. Once she had escaped to her room, Juliette threw her backpack onto the floor and flopped into her desk, desperate to get some homework done before Remi showed up. 

~

A few hours after she had started her homework, Juliette’s parents called her down for dinner. Some spaghetti and a chocolate brownie later, Juliette was bolting up the stairs to her room. She squeaked when she opened the door, for Chat Noir was sitting on her chaise, a single red rose in his hand. “M’Lady, you look lovely tonight,” he said, handing her the rose. 

She blushed, taking it from him and placing it in a vase filled with a few more assorted flowers. He quickly stood up and took her by the hand. “Wow Remi, I’m flattered. So, what do you want to do?” she asked.

“Come on, we’re leaving. I have something planned.” he scooped her up and they flew out of the window, Chat jumping from roof to roof until they reached his destination. They had arrived at a softly candlelit roof, with cushions and blankets lining the space. In a corner was a kettle, two mugs, and a bag of marshmallows. Juliette’s heart warmed. “Welcome to our first date, Jules,” Remi said, detransforming. “Come sit with me, I have hot chocolate.”

“Oh my gosh Remi, this is beautiful, I love it,” she gushed, sitting opposite him on a pretty purple pillow. He handed her a mug and poured some hot chocolate into it, adding a few marshmallows before starting on his own. She took a sip, marvelling at the wonderful view of the Eiffel Tower they had, and how much time it must’ve taken Remi to put all of this together. 

They sat there for what seemed like hours, talking until Remi broke the silence. “Hey Jules, c-can I kiss you?” he asked, blushing furiously. 

“I-yes,” she responded breathlessly. 

Remi tentatively leaned in, pressing his lips against Juliette’s. She took a sharp intake of breath, but softened up and pushed back. She ran her fingers through his hair and they stayed like that for what felt like an eternity. When they broke apart, Remi’s face was red and she was certain hers matched. 

“Wow,” was all Juli managed to say. 

“Wow indeed,” Remi responded. Then he started laughing. And he wouldn’t stop.

Juliette felt defensive. “Was it really that bad? I mean, it was sorta my first kiss after all,” she rambled. 

“No, it’s just, this isn’t really how I thought my first kiss would go. Don’t get me wrong, it was magical, better than I imagined, actually,” he responded. 

Juliette giggled a bit as well, then shivered. It was pretty cold outside, and she didn’t have time to grab a coat before she was quite literally swept off of her feet and out through her open window. Remi upon seeing this, opened his arms and layed down, motioning for her to lay beside him. She wriggled closer, grabbing a blanket and snuggling up to him. “This is peaceful, just you and me,” Juli said. They lay there for ages, a serene peace settling.

“Y’know, we should probably get going, before someone notices the two teenagers cuddling on the roof,” Remi said, pushing himself on one elbow to look down at Juliette. 

Juliette begrudgingly stood up, Remi following suit. “Claws out,” he said, then scooped the girl up in his arms.

“Hey, at least tomorrow’s Friday, which means I get to see you throughout the weekend. If you want to, I mean,” Juliette said once Chat had brought her home and placed her on her bed. 

“Y-y-yeah,” he yawned. “I’m gonna head out, see you tomorrow Jules.” and at that Chat Noir jumped out the window, shutting it behind him. 

Juliette fell asleep quickly, dreaming of boys, black cats, and creamy hot chocolate


	16. Remi

Remi awoke to the horrific smell of feet. He opened his eyes, Plagg floating inches away from his nose, devouring a piece of camembert. “Eww, I’m up, I’m up!” Remi scrambled out of bed, desperate to move as far away as possible from the stinky cheese. He quickly threw on some black jeans and a faded blue sweater, ignoring the mop of messy hair atop his head. 

He stumbled down the stairs and shoved some sourdough into the toaster, then grabbed some peanut butter out of the cabinet. Peanut butter toast was more of an American thing, but he didn’t care, it was still delicious. His mom came down a few minutes later, as he was smearing a thick layer of peanut butter on his toast. Remi grabbed his backpack, and toast, saying a quick goodbye to his mom before walking out the door. He shivered at the nippy wind as a snowflake settled on his nose. He quickly picked up a run, desperate to get back inside and into the warmth. 

By the time he reached the doors of Françoise Dupont, there was a steady flow of snow coming from the dark grey clouds above. He walked inside, and warmth flooded into every ounce of his being. A figure ran up from behind, sticking their frozen hands into his armpits. He jumped, the figure behind him laughing. “You have no shame Jules. C’mon, let’s go.”

~

They made it to second period before their principal, M. Allemand, came over the intercom. “Because of the significant amount of snow accumulating outside, school will hereby be cancelled for the rest of the day.” Every student currently in the school made a mad dash for the door, and onto the sidewalk and streets. Juliette caught up to Remi, and together they walked to his home. 

“Mom doesn’t get home till six, so we have the house to ourselves for a few hours,” Remi explained, taking Juli’s hand and leading her up the stairs to his room.

“Cool.” Juliette dropped her backpack, plopping down onto his bed. “So, we have like, nine hours until your mom gets home. What are we going to do?” 

“Brain Games?” he suggested. 

“Brain what?” Juliette laughed. “Never heard of it.”

“It’s some American show on National Geographic. It’s supposed to test your brain, make you smarter. I can put on subtitles, or we could struggle through and practice our English?” Remi replied, sliding over to her. 

“Sure, why not. But We’re off school for the next two weeks. I can work on my English later.” she said, snuggling close. 

“Sure thing.” Remi reached over Juli to the bedside table, grabbing the remote and switching on Disney+. 

They made it through three episodes before Remi checked the time. He nudged her, asking about lunch. 

“Sure, wanna walk to that cafe around the corner? It’ll give us a chance to play in the snow,” Juliette suggested. Remi nodded, sliding off the bed and grabbing his boots, coat, scarf, and a blue beanie. 

Juli did the same, and they carefully redressed. Remi grabbed her hand and they walked down the stairs and out the door, locking the door behind him. 

The snow had already built up to half a metre, and Remi, taking advantage of Juli’s momentary awe, bent down and formed a massive snowball, chucking it at the back of her head. She turned, a face he knew all too well on her face. “Oh, it is so on!”

The two took turns throwing snowballs at each other while walking, so when they finally reached the cafe, they were frozen to the core and sopping wet. 

“I’ll do a tomato soup and hot chocolate, extra whipped cream please.” Remi ordered. 

“And I’ll have a grilled cheese with the same drink as him, please.” Juli requested next. The two found a table by the window, Juliette extracting her phone from her pocket. She slid off her coat and Remi did the same. “C’mere, let’s take a picture to send to Alex and Rina.”

They scooted closer and Juli snapped a picture, pulling a satisfied smile and sending it to their friends. The man at the counter called their names and the duo grabbed their food, sitting back down and digging in. 

~

The walk home was uneventful; a few preschoolers were building a snowman in the park and Remi and Juliette stopped to help them. 

Remi shut the door and shook the water out of his hair, and Juliette took out her braid. “Do you mind if I take a shower? I’m kinda nasty right now. You can make yourself at home in my room if you want, turn on the tv.”

“Okay, cool.”

Remi set off for the upstairs bathroom, Juliette following suit. Splitting off in different directions, Remi headed towards the bathroom, Juliette to his room. He carefully stripped off his layers and turned on the water, stepping in. The warm water felt wondrous on his freckled skin, and without thinking, he started singing. Just some American song he heard when his mother turned on the radio. The lyrics were catchy, and implanted themselves in his head. 

When he walked into the bedroom wearing some sweatpants and a sweater, Juliette was lounging on his bed. She had her phone in her hand, and had a smirk etched onto her otherwise soft face. “What?” Remi questioned.

“Since when can you sing like an absolute freaking angel?!” she countered, opening her photos and pulling an audio clip up. She hit play and his voice filled the silence. 

“To be honest, I don’t like singing in front of people. I didn’t even know you could hear me from across the hall,” he said sheepishly. Juli laughed, and patted the spot next to her. 

Remi laid down, grabbing her around the waist and pulling her to his chest. He grabbed the remote and resumed the episode of Brain Games, absentmindedly stroking her hair. Soon enough, her breathing slowed and evened out, as did his own. 

~

“Look what we have here,” a somewhat loud voice called from the doorway. Remi jolted awake, looking around and spotting his own mother grinning at him and Juliette. She swept her loose red curls away from her face and crossed her arms. 

“Mom! Hi, y-you’re home early. What time is it?” Remi spouted, stomach sinking. He hadn’t quite told his mother about Juliette and their relationship yet. 

“Four-thirty. I got a call from the school saying school was cancelled, and decided I would wrap things up and head home early. It is Friday after all.” She seemed to be avoiding the elephant in the room, but Remi couldn’t quite pinpoint why. “I see you brought a friend over, or does she maybe mean a bit more to you?”

Ah. There it was. “Yeah, umm, sorry. Juliette and I are kind of dating now, but I swear it’s still new! Like less than a week new. And I’ve barely seen you since it happened and the opportunity never really came up to tell you, so umm...”

Cecile laughed. “Don’t worry honey, Juliette is a good girl. I think she’ll do good things for you. But you might want to wake her up so she knows what’s going on.”

Relief swept over him. Remi poked Juliette’s shoulder, and she gently stirred, stretching. “What’s going on?” she asked, still a bit groggy. She jerked up, and Remi could only assume she saw his mother. Cecile waved a little at Juli, still smiling. “Are we in trouble?” she whispered, flipping to face him.

“No, she’s fine with it,” Remi whispered back.

“Hello dear,” his mother said. “Well, now that she’s awake, I’ll leave you two to it. Don’t do anything too bad!”

“Mooom!” Remi groaned, flopping back onto his back and sighing. “Sorry about that. I really wanted to keep this -  _ us _ a secret from my mom.”

“Oh, I haven’t told my parents, or any of my family yet. Thomas is extremely protective of me too. Like ridiculously protective. He would probably murder me if he found out I had a boyfriend,” Juliette said. Then she laughed, and Remi did too because the situation was awkward and laughing made him feel better. 

“Guys, you might want to take a look at this,” Tikki exclaimed from the window. They both quickly stood up and ran over to Tikki, glancing out to the white world in front of them.

“What in the name of all that’s good happened?” Juliette questioned to no one in particular. 

“I dunno, but we should probably transform,” Remi replied. 

“Tikki, Spots On - Plagg, Claws Out!” the duo said in unison, and light enveloped them. Standing before each other in Remi’s bedroom were Ladybug and Chat Noir.. 

“What are we gonna do about your mom? We’re not exactly ourselves right now.”

“Don’t worry about her, she’s probably in her room. We should be fine if we leave through the back door,” Chat said, grabbing her hand and pulling her out the door. Once they got down to the door, he sent a quick text to his mother saying they were going out. He opened the door and the two slipped out, sighing in relief. 

“C’mon, let’s go! There’s a possible Akuma we need to defeat,” Ladybug said, pulling out her yoyo and zipping off into the quickly setting sun.

The problem was quite evident. A boy got upset because the popular kids didn’t include him in a snowball fight. He got transformed into Snowballer, a blue monster that turned people into snowmen with his canon. They solved the problem quickly and sent the boy on his way home. 

“So where to now?” Ladybug asked as they were zipping through the air. It was dark now, and the Eiffel Tower was lit up. 

“I say we get some of Andr é’s Ice Cream and chill under the light of the Eiffel Tower, ” Chat said. Ladybug glared at him. “Just kidding, just kidding, I know how the paparazzi would go crazy for a picture like that. How about we go back to my place and spend the night? I’m sure mom’ll be fine with it.”

“Okay, first we talk to my parents, they’re probably worried sick about where I am. If or when they say yes, we run upstairs and grab my things.” They detransformed in an alley, walking to Juliette’s house hand in hand.


	17. Juliette

“I’m sorry honey, but we just don’t feel comfortable with you spending the night over there. Of course Remi dear, we trust you, and Cecile is a wonderful lady, but I can’t let you spend the night,” Juliette’s mother said. Juli and Remi nodded their heads. Remi squeezed Juliette’s hand and let it fall.

“At least they approve of us,” Remi whispered in her ear when he swept her into a hug. She nodded and smiled slightly as he pulled away and shut the door behind him.

Juliette sighed, plodding up the stairs and into her room, slumping onto her desk chair and putting in some earbuds. “Time to write this essay, Tikki.” Tikki settled herself in the miniature pet bed beside her computer, sighing happily and closing her big indigo eyes. 

“Done,” Juliette sighed, shutting down her laptop. “Now, to turn on Netflix and melt into my bed for the next two weeks.”

Juliette slipped into some fuzzy pajama bottoms and a blue sweatshirt with the Françoise Dupont fencing team logo on it, putting her caramel hair up in a messy bun. “I’ll see you in two weeks, mom,” she said quietly to herself, sliding under her blankets and grabbing the remote. 

~

The smell of basil and Mozzarella slowly wafted into Juliette’s room, slowly waking the girl from her nap. She looked over and two delectable slices of pizza carefully dusted with Parmesan were set on her nightstand, along with a glass of lemonade. “Thanks mom!” she called down the stairs.

“No problem dear!” her mother’s voice called from upstairs. Grinning, Juliette grabbed the plate and dug in, only vaguely aware of the footsteps walking towards her room. 

The quiet steps walked past her door and down the stairs. Juliette perked her ears and grabbed her dishes, climbing out of bed and going to the door. She opened it and walked downstairs and into the kitchen, where Thomas was currently sitting at the table, a plate of chocolate cr êpes in front of him. He smiled and waved. “Look what we have for dessert!”

Juliette smiled, walking over and grabbing the plate of cr êpes her mother held out. She took a small bite and her face lit up. “Who made these?”

“Me,” Thomas said shyly, putting his hand up. 

“And since when can you bake something edible? Last time we made cupcakes, you burnt them beyond recognition,” she teased, sitting down next to her brother. “How’s Uni? You staying the full two weeks?”

He smiled a bit. “My roommate’s been teaching me. I’m actually home for three weeks, we get an extra week off,” he said. “Can’t get rid of me that easy.”

At that, Juliette grabbed Thomas’s arm, pulling him into the living room. “Come on,” she said, pushing her brother onto the couch and handing him a game controller. “Let’s play Mecha Strike!”

She plopped down next to him and started up the game, selecting the Ladybug avatar, Thomas choosing the Moth.

~

“I’m done with this,” Juliette sighed, leaning back into the cushions. “How are you better than me? I’m supposed to be the gaming master of the house!”

“Learned from the best,” he said, smirking and nudging her arm. “Come on, let’s get to bed.”

She agreed and stood up, telling their parents goodnight and racing up the stairs. Juliette paused at her door, turning to face Thomas. “I’m glad you’re home Tommy,” she smiled, opening the door to her room. “Goodnight, big bro.”

“'Night sis,” Thomas responded, walking into his own room and shutting the door. Juliette quietly slipped on her pajamas and ran a brush through her caramel hair, walking to her bed and flopping down, falling asleep almost instantly. 

~~~~~

“Juliette, wake up! It’s Christmas!” Tikki exclaimed, hovering in front of Juliette’s face. The Kwami was holding a small black box, a huge smile that extended to her big indigo eyes. “Merry Christmas Juliette!” she held the box out and the girl sat up and gently grabbed it from her. 

“Ohh, it’s beautiful,” Juliette marveled, pulling the necklace from the box. The silver chain held a small black pendant in the shape of a ladybug. 

“In the right lighting, the pendant shifts to a ladybug pattern. Perfect for you, Juli,” Tikki explained. Juliette carefully fastened the necklace around her neck and slid out of bed, stretching. 

“Thanks Tikki. I actually have something for you. By the way, how did you get this necklace? It looks expensive.” she walked over to her desk and rummaged around in one of the drawers until she found what she was looking for. 

“A little magic,” the small Kwami answered eagerly. Juliette carefully pulled the little blue sweater around Tikki’s neck and she giggled, happy for the gift. 

“It’s beautiful anyhow. Come on, let's get you something sweet to eat before I wake up the rest of the family.” At that, Juliette carefully crept out of her room as Tikki followed, down the stairs, and into the kitchen, grateful for the quiet that the early morning provided. She grabbed a couple bars of chocolate out of the cabinet and gave one to Tikki, then the two went back upstairs. Once Tikki was hidden in the safety of Juliette’s hair, she pushed open the door to Thomas’s room. 

“Rise and shine,” she called, opening the dark blue curtains as her brother groaned from the depths of his sheets. “It’s Christmas!”

Thomas sat up and groaned again, shielding his eyes from the bright sun. “Okay okay, but give me a minute to put on a shirt,” he grumbled, getting out of bed as Juliette wandered down the hall and into her parents’ room. 

Once she had woken everybody up she ran back to her room and grabbed the presents she had carefully made and wrapped. Three sweaters for their respective member of Juliette’s family, all complementary to each other and the one she had recently swapped out her t-shirt for. She bolted out of her room and down the stairs, straight into the living room where her mother, father, and Thomas were sitting. “Merry Christmas!” she squealed, bolting to the tree and passing out presents. 

~

Juliette sighed as she sank onto her bed, thoroughly filled up on sweets and Christmas breakfast. She had spent the past several hours going against her parents as she and Thomas teamed up against them in an epic snowball fight. A warm shower later and the four were settled on the couch battling it out in many rounds of the new Mecha Strike game Juliette had received from Thomas. 

She was exhausted and looking forward to taking a nap when her phone chimed. It was Remi, asking if he could come over to give Juliette her gift. She was hesitant at first, skeptical of Thomas’s reaction. In the end she decided it was fine and that Thomas could suck up his over-protectiveness for once and let her do her own thing. She agreed, and settled down for a quick catnap before he arrived. 

Juliette’s phone chimed, waking her up a couple hours later. Remi was down the street. She quickly ran a brush through her hair and pulled on a pair of black leggings. She grabbed his present and ran down the stairs.

She quickly told her parents that a friend was coming over to give her a present, then opened the door nervously, revealing Remi. He smiled sheepishly and Juliette pulled him inside. From the corner of the room, Juliette saw Thomas narrow his eyes, but she brushed it off, confident he could get over himself. 

“Hey, Mme. Chasse, Merry Christmas to you too,” Remi smiled when she let go.

“Oh please dear, Élise is fine,” her mother insisted. He smiled at that, and Juliette grabbed his hand again, pulling him into the living room. 

Her father nodded and smiled at him as well, giving his approval. “Welcome to our home, son.” 

And to her utter surprise, Thomas stood up and walked over, until he was standing almost in front of Remi. He stuck out his hand and smiled a bit. “Take care of my little sis, will you?” Remi tentatively took his hand and shook it, Juliette watching with a slightly bewildered look on her face. 

“Well, now that I know that my brother won’t kill you, let’s go upstairs!” Juliette said cheerfully, nodding at the staircase across the hall. Remi agreed, following her up and into her bedroom. He shed his coat and shoes at the door and sat down on her bed, holding out a small box wrapped in green and red wrapping paper. 

Juliette hurried over to her closet and reached up, grabbing what she was looking for. She bounded back over and sat down across from him, crossing her legs in the process. She took the box and handed Remi his gift, tearing off the paper. She felt only slightly bad for ripping up such a beautiful wrapping job, but she was eager to see what he got her. A small brown box was sitting in the shreds of the paper, and she carefully picked it up and lifted the top. In there sat a small enamel pin. A delicate kitten with shiny blue eyes, the base made of silver. “It’s beautiful!” she gushed, leaning forward and brushing his cheek with a kiss. 

Remi blushed, tearing open his own gift and smiled when he saw what was in the box. A sky blue scarf that perfectly matched his eyes sat neatly folded. His eyes sparkled as he carefully slipped it around his neck, assuring Juliette that it was wonderful. She sighed, grateful that he liked it. 

At that, the duo ran back down the stairs, for Juliette’s parents were calling to make Christmas cookies. Juliette pulled on her pink apron and grabbed one of Thomas’s old ones for Remi. She helped him tie the straps and they got to work, Thomas and Juliette’s parents by their side. 

Two hours of laughter and frosting-tipped noses later, all five were tired, strung out on the plush couches in the living room, snacking on the fruits of their labor and watching Elf. Juliette smiled to herself, and she couldn’t help thinking that in this moment, she wouldn’t change anything one bit. 


	18. Remi

~Four Years Later~

Remi was nervous. He and Juliette had been dating for almost five years, and fighting crime together longer. If he wasn’t sure then, he is now, that Juliette is the woman he wants to spend the rest of his life with. Yesterday, Remi had spent the day figuring out how he was going to pop the question, but the perfect idea hadn’t come to him until after he had gone to bed. He stayed up the rest of the night planning for it.

At half past 8 the next night, Remi strolled up to the apartment Juliette and Rena shared and knocked on the door. “Hey Remi, you’re looking very dapper tonight.” Rena had opened the door to reveal a small but homey apartment.

“Thanks, Rena. Is Juliette almost ready? I have something kinda big planned for tonight,” he said as he stealthily showed Rena the ring box. Rena’s crystal-blue eyes went huge behind her glasses as pure glee filled her face. She was about to say something more when Juliette appeared on the stairs in a red maxi dress with a black cardigan over top. She looked absolutely stunning.

“Hey Remi, I’m ready to go.” Remi’s mouth was agape and he only closed it when Rena elbowed him in the side, making Juliette giggle. He held his arm out for Juliette and she took it, Rina shutting the door behind them with a fond smile.


	19. Juliette

Juliette had been in the car with Remi for almost thirty minutes. She had no idea where she was going, despite having lived in Paris all her life. When they finally stopped, Juliette was in a daze. They had pulled up outside of an old building that had been for sale for almost three years, on the corner across from her favorite park. It was also within walking distance of her old middle school. She loved this building. It was meant to be a bakery, and there was a fairly large house on top of it that overlooked the park. Juliette’s dream was to open her own bakery.

Remi walked her up to the door, and pulled out a key. Juliette was surprised by this, but made no comment. Walking inside, Juliette twirled around, taking everything in. Remi took her on a quick tour of the apartment upstairs and brought her back down. Juliette was looking out the window.

Remi coughed, and turning around Juliette saw him on one knee with a ring in his outstretched hands. “Juliette… I’ve loved you since the first day we met. You’re my Bugaboo, my partner in fighting crime, and my best friend. I wouldn’t have been able to make it through the death of my dad without you. You always know how to cheer me up, and bring good luck whenever I need it the most. I can’t imagine spending my life with anyone else, and I hope that you would want to spend it with me here. Where you can pursue your dream, with me, and maybe in time with a family of our own. I love you Jules. Will you marry me?”

Juliette was in tears. She was just able to say “Yes!” and threw herself onto Remi as he slid the ring onto her finger. It was a diamond in the shape of a ladybug. Engraved on the band it read: ' _ Love, your Chaton _ ’. Juliette was so happy that she almost forgot she was on the dusty floor of an old bakery. Taking his hand, the couple walked out and went to dinner, ready to spend the rest of their lives with each other.


	20. Remi

~Eight Years Later~

“Bye love, enjoy your weekend at Tommy’s,” Remi said, kissing his wife goodbye. She was staying the weekend at her brother’s house so that she could practice her macarons before a big competition in Berlin the next week. “And don’t forget to bring Gabbie over to your parents’!” He quickly slipped into his coat and opened the door. The last thing he saw was a parting wave from Gabrielle, his six year old daughter. Her little green eyes glittered in between Juliette’s legs.

“Don’t worry, I won’t. Have a good day!” He smiled and the two shut the door gently when he turned his back, en route to the small music studio he owned alongside Alex. 

Remi shivered slightly in the Parisian February air, silently grateful for the short walk. The bell tinkled when he pushed open the door, startling the young man at the front desk with dark, curly hair. “Oh, dude!” Alex exclaimed, turning around and spotting his friend. 

Remi gave a slight wave and joined Alex behind the desk, shedding his coat and checking the list of lessons he had planned for the day. One of the first names caught his eye. “Val’s got a lesson today,” he pointed out.

“I suppose she does. It surprises me sometimes, just how much she’s changed from that liar of a girl, kinda like Lavinia.” Remi nodded his agreement, jogging to the practice room at the end of the hallway, shutting the door behind him.

Sighing and flexing his fingers, Remi placed them on the keys, producing no melody in particular, losing himself in the song and closing his eyes. He was so involved that he didn’t hear the door open as his first lesson opened the door cautiously, smiling hesitantly as her bright orange hair glinted slightly in the studio lights. 

Remi started and turned, abruptly stopping the song. “Hello Valerie,” Remi said as the woman walked into the room. 

“Hey,” she responded, pushing her hair away from her face. He gestured for her to sit next to him and she did, placing her black bag next to the piano bench. Remi opened the book and Valerie started playing. 

~

The rest of the day’s lessons passed in a blur, and by the time the day was over, Remi was well and truly exhausted. The day was unusually busy, having taught over twice as many lessons as he usually did. 

On the way home he stopped by a local cafe, buying a banana nut muffin, munching on it as he made the rest of the short distance home. He quickly opened the door and shed his coat and muffin paper, going over and plopping onto the couch immediately after, kicking his shoes off haphazardly as he grabbed the quilt hanging on the back. “Wake me up if anything happens, okay?”

Plagg nodded his agreement, inhaling a piece of Camembert, goodness knows how he got it so fast. Eventually, Remi drifted into a restful sleep. 

Two hours later, a sharp prick in Remi’s cheek woke him up abruptly. He shot up, noticing immediately the sharpened pencil laying half a meter away. “What was that for?” he said, shooting a frown at the matched expression on the black Kwami’s face. 

“You’ve got a talk-letter, or whatever it's called, from your wife,” Plagg said, gesturing to the phone laying on the coffee table. Remi reached over and picked it up.

“It’s called a voicemail, Plagg. Anyway, why would Juli call me so soon? She’s not supposed to be back for another couple of days.” He questioned the air, skimming until he came across the message. 

“Chaton! You need to help me, I’ve found out Hawkmoth’s identity. I don’t have much time before he finds out I know! Meet me at the Eiffel Tower as soon as you get this, please!” The panicked voice of Juliette cut off. 

“Plagg, Claws Out!”


	21. Juliette

Ladybug waited at the top of the Eiffel Tower, pacing back and forth. She didn’t know how much longer she could wait. She was about to call again, but the familiar sound of a baton swishing through the air and boots hitting metal cut her out of her thoughts. “Oh, finally.” she carried on without waiting for a response. “It’s Thomas. He’s hawkmoth. I was wandering through his house, looking for the spare bedroom, because obviously it's been ages since I’ve stayed there, and you know how dang big that house is. Anyways, there’s this room that I’ve never been allowed in, the only door on the third floor. So, obviously I got curious, and pushed open the door, and there was my brother in all of his six foot two glory, in a deep purple suit with a silver, butterfly shaped mask!” Ladybug paused for a breath, glancing at Chat Noir. He was staring at her, jaw hanging open. He was shaking his head and looked as if he were trying to say something, but couldn’t find the right words.  _ Honestly, if I were him, I wouldn’t know what to say either _ , she thought to herself.

Chat managed to steel himself, finally commenting. “Wow. That’s- wow. Well what are we waiting for, let’s go catch him!” he reached out and wrapped an arm around Ladybug’s waist. She squealed in surprise, the movement unexpected. But before he could extend his baton, the world was enveloped in darkness. 

A sharp voice penetrated the blanket of black surrounding all of Paris, booming out in the suddenly quiet city. “I am Stargazer! You all will enjoy the night as much as I!” The Akuma didn’t sound any older than ten, Ladybug observed. “My mom took down the stars from my ceiling, so I’ll cover the entirety of France in them!”

“Well, that explains why Hawkmoth was transformed,” Chat Noir tried, attempting a joke. He seemed to sense the panic that was flooding Ladybug’s body and was attempting to lighten the mood. Too bad he couldn’t lighten the rest of the city.

“Can you see anything, Chaton?” Ladybug was counting on the magic of the Miraculous that provided Chat’s night vision to get them out of this situation. 

“Umm, a bit, yeah. Thank magic I can though.”

“Alright, let’s do this.”

~

Stargazer was by far one of the easier Akumas to defeat. In twenty minutes Ladybug was breaking the constellation pin on the little girl’s chest in her fist, sending the little black butterfly into the air. She caught it and purified it, sending the now white and harmless insect into the air. 

“Now what?” Chat asked. 

“Now we wait.” 

~

They waited until around midnight to talk about what to do next. Hoping that the cover of night would allow them to converse without Thomas finding out. “So, you will stand guard out here, while Tikki and I sneak into his bedroom and grab the brooch while he’s asleep. Sound good?” Chat nodded once. “Repeat back what I just said.”

“I stand guard while you and Tikki take the brooch while he's asleep. Got it. Good luck, M’lady.”

She placed a quick peck on his lips before running over to the back door and removing her spare key. “Come on Tikki, let’s go,” she said, placing the key in the lock and opening the door, Remi shutting the door behind them. The two snuck up the stairs and into the master bedroom of Thomas’ house. Tikki flew over to the bed to make sure he was sleeping, and waved her tiny arm, telling Juliette that the coast was clear. Juliette nodded and crept over, reaching across her brother’s sleeping form towards the small brooch in the center of his chest. But as her fingertips were grazing the small purple stone, a hand locked her wrist in place. Startled, she called out in alarm, twisting her arm as to loosen the grip on her wrist. Thomas stood up and pulled on Juliette’s arm, half dragging her out of the room and up the next flight of stairs. 

When they reached the door at the top, Thomas pulled it open and shoved her inside and onto a hardback chair. In shock, Juliette went limp in the chair. ”Why?” was all she managed to choke out, tears starting to pool.

“It was always for you. To protect you and keep you safe. I couldn’t save Elliot but I can still save you.”

“No. You know Elliot wasn’t your fault! He was going to die anyways! He just wanted death to be something he could control.” Juliette had finally found her voice, tears tracking down her face. “Besides, I’m an adult. I can protect myself!” 

“I can- I can’t lose you too. If I can get both Miraculous I can ensure your healthy life!” Thomas stretched out his hand and made an attempt at her earrings, but Juliette’s hand caught his before they could touch the small black studs. How long had he known? Since she was sick all those years ago? Or was it that Christmas where he had first met Remi?

“It was a bunch of little things, really,” he began. Juliette’s jaw dropped. Had she said that out loud? “The first time was when you were sick. Ladybug didn’t show up that day to fight my Akuma., but I thought it could just be a coincidence.” He paused and looked Juliette up and down. “The next time was when I Akumatized Remi. Ladybug showed up for that one, but it was over in a matter of seconds. When I got back home I realised that there was someone in your room. You weren’t as quiet as you thought.” Julie winced. She didn’t realize any of this. “I knew the only way that Remi could have gone from the hospital, which was across Paris mind you, to our house, was if Ladybug took him. But she didn’t take him home. She brought him to our house. That was the final clue that I needed.”

“Of course, I didn’t realise that Remi was Chat Noir until that Christmas when you introduced him to us as your boyfriend. I knew that Ladybug and Chat had been getting closer, I just hadn’t realised how close until I formally met him.” Thomas paused again to let his words sink in. “And now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to need your Miraculous.”

Thomas made to grab at her ear, but thirteen years of being a full time superheroine had sharpened her reflexes, and she caught his wrist before he could get so much as thirty centimeters away. “Absolutely not.” Juliette shot up, and using the sudden movement and momentary surprise it brought upon Thomas, she twisted his wrist so it was pinned behind his own back. He gave a shocked yelp and quickly ripped his arm out of her grasp, taking a defensive position that Juliette mirrored. “I’d rather think you’ll hand over  _ your _ Miraculous, actually.”

Thomas let out a short laugh, humorless and dry as it was. “Not a chance, pesky bug. Nooroo, Dark Wings, Rise!” Juliette could only watch in shock and horror as the brother she knew so well transformed into an otherworldly monster. His joggers and t-shirt had morphed into a dapper, deep purple suit with white accents, a silver mask vaguely reminiscent of a butterfly covered the top half of his face, and an ornate cane in the same silver color was resting lazily in his left hand. 

“Tikki, Spots On!” Juliette all but screamed, not about to fight Paris’ number one supervillain without her own suit. When the bright blinding pink light had dissipated, Ladybug stood facing Hawkmoth. Until he turned around and ran, that is. Ladybug raced after him, down the stairs, out the door and into the night. But when she finally made it out onto the dark lawn, he was nowhere to be seen. 

Chat Noir burst around the corner a moment later, confusion evident on his face. “What the heck happened up there? I saw a bright purple light then a pink one. Where’s Thomas?”

“He got away,” Ladybug growled, hours of pent up frustration threatening to bubble over. But no, now was not a good moment to lose her cool. “Come on, we need to catch him!” At that, she took off, yoyo swinging purposefully through the cool autumn night, Chat Noir not far behind her. 

They swung and vaulted through the city, making their methodic way to the Eiffel Tower, where sure enough, a wall of foreboding black butterflies were swarming around a figure, standing with its arms thrown wide. “We’re not getting through this by ourselves. I’ll be right back, stay hidden and keep an eye on him!” Chat gave a nod in response and crouched low along the wall of the roof they were scouting from. Ladybug confidently swung away, headed towards the very familiar massage parlor and detransforming before she entered. Master Fu looked up from the book he was reading as she quietly entered.

“Ah, Juliette. What can I do for you,” he asked calmly, setting his book down carefully. She sat down cross-legged on the mat in front of him before responding. 

“I need help.” Master Fu nodded in acknowledgement, getting up and padding over to the ornate gramophone in the corner of the room. He pressed the buttons and she watched as the gramophone top fell back as if on hinges, and the Miracle Box came up from within. Maser Fu lifted the Box gingerly out of the gramophone base and onto the mat in front of Juliette. “Do you mind if I use more than one?”

“Yes, you may, though I have to warn you, the more Miraculous that are used, the greater chance of Hawkmoth getting a hold of one.” Juliette nodded quickly and started selecting the few she knew she could count on. 

“Um, Master, do you mind if I use Wayzz?” she asked, gesturing to the pale green turtle Kwami hovering over his master’s shoulder. 

“Yes, you may.” He carefully slid the simple jade bracelet off of his right wrist and handed it to Juliette. She thanked him and exited the parlor, transforming immediately. 

Ladybug swung around the city until she spied one particular apartment building. She landed on a second floor balcony and raised a hand to knock on the glass door. “Oh, hello girl, what’s up?” Rina answered.

“I need you and Alex, it’s an emergency,” Ladybug explained, slipping the fox pendant and turtle bracelet out of her yoyo’s compartment. She handed them over. “Meet me at the Eiffel Tower as soon as you can, I have one more person to visit.”

Next, Ladybug made her way to Le Grand Paris hotel. She entered the lobby at a brisk pace and made her way down a hallway on the left and stopped at a door labelled ‘Mlle. Arquette’. She knocked twice, a muffled “welcome” sounding from inside the office. 

“Hello, Lavinia,” Ladybug said, almost conversationally. The girl in question was sitting at an ornate wooden desk facing the door, hunched over a stack of papers that she was currently writing rapidly across. 

“I’m very busy right now, thank you very mu- oh, hello Ladybug!” she lifted her head and brushed some of the curly dark brown hair out of her eyes. “What do you need help with?”

The petty bully from their school days had melted away many years ago, leaving behind an incredibly independent young woman, intent on running her father’s hotel. She had approached Juliette with an apology, as well as most other members of their class growing up, and an offer of starting a friendship. Over the years, she and Juliette grew quite close, and was one of the few people in Juliette’s life that knew of her secret identity, along with Alex, Rina, both she and Remi’s parents, and now, apparently, her brother. “Paris needs their favorite Queen. Think you can help us?” Ladybug asked, selecting the Bee comb from her yoyo. Lavinia nodded vigorously. “Good. We’ll need you at the Eiffel Tower immediately.”

With that, Ladybug left the hotel and headed for the Tower, feeling marginally better about their odds.


	22. Remi

Chat Noir waited patiently for Ladybug to return with the rest of their go-to superhero team, simultaneously watching Hawkmoth. After a while he spotted four small shapes on the horizon, rapidly growing bigger in size and coming into focus. Queen Bee was leading the group, her chocolate skin lit up softly by the moon. Behind her were Volpina and Carapace, side by side and looking positively menacing. The ultimate superhero power couple, behind him and Ladybug of course. Ladybug herself arrived moments later. 

“Lucky Charm! Alright,” she started, a simple wooden box falling from the sky. “We need to surround him. Volpina, if you could make several copies of all of us, that would be brilliant. Queen Bee, if you could paralyse Hawkmoth so Chat can Cataclysm part of the tower above him to trap him in, and Carapace, I need you to make a Shell-ter to cover the rest of us from any stray debris. Okay, everyone got it?” a collective nod around the group. 

The five of them split up and made to move towards their respective positions, but the ground beneath their feet started shaking. Badly. Above the sounds of the earthquake, a loud and confident voice could be heard. “I am shockwave! My love of Seismology was laughed at, so I will give all of Paris a taste of my passion!” 

As abruptly as it had started, the ground stilled, the air left eerily silent in its wake. A shockingly pink figure was standing at the top of the Tower, a spot frequented by the many, many Akumas of Paris, presumably for its astounding vantage point. “Of course Hawkmoth wouldn’t make this easy.” Chat Noir rolled his eyes and changed course to attack Shockwave from behind. 

~~~~~

Many multicolored Akumas, six recharges, and one sunrise later, Chat Noir and the rest of the heroes were thoroughly exhausted. He stifled a yawn as Ladybug cleansed their seventh black butterfly of the fight. “I’m done with this. If Hawkmoth is gonna play dirty, so are we!” Ladybug exclaimed. Chat was at a loss for how energised she was compared to the rest of them. “Back to the original plan, everyone remember? Good. Let’s go before he can Akumatize anyone else.”

Chat vaulted over the rooftops and landed on a patch of beams directly above Hawkmoth. “Cataclysm,” he said softly, admiring how the particles of pure destruction danced around his hand, heaviest at his ring, feathering and fanning out the further away they got. He carefully touched his charged hand to a specific beam and watched his handiwork. The beams attached to the one he destroyed fell directly around Hawkmoth, shutting him in without touching or harming. He could see the geometric green pattern of Carapace’s shield in his peripheral, as it surrounded his friends and fellow heroes. The many illusions of them all danced around, taunting and distracting the villain as Queen Bee snuck up behind him and stuck her top right between his shoulder blades. Hawkmoth went rigid at once, frozen in place. Ladybug proudly marched over and in between the beams, right in front of her disguised brother’s face. She reached forward and plucked the silk brooch from the center of his chest. His transformation fell all at once in a flash of bright purple light, revealing, in all of his paralysed glory, Thomas Chasse. Queen Bee, Volpina, and Carapace all collectively gasped, their mouths hanging open in shock. Chat jumped gracefully down to the level of the rest of the heroes and went to stand beside Ladybug. 

She carefully placed the brooch in the lucky charm box that had reappeared and practically sagged with relief. Chat inwardly did the same. He leaned closer and put an arm around her shoulder. “We did it,” he murmured into her hair. 

“Yeah. Mama and Papa are gonna be so pissed, you have no idea. Could you imagine the shock of finding out your two surviving children were fighting against each other for thirteen years? They were already shocked when we told them  _ our _ identities.” 

“We’ll worry about them tomorrow, Bugaboo. But for now, we need to get him into custody and have a loooong sleep. They can wait.” While they were talking, one of the others had phoned the police, and they were already on the ground, conversing with the chief of police. Chat looked around at the damage caused, then noticed the box still clutched in Ladybug’s hand. “Let me see the brooch. You need to fix all this damage.”

Ladybug nodded and tossed the small box into the air. “Miraculous Ladybug!” Millions of tiny red beetles flew around the city in a rush, fixing every bit of damage and disruption done to the city that the fight had caused. “Let’s go and talk to the chief.”

The two touched down next to the other three, just as Volpina was finishing giving Thomas’s name and information. “-as Chasse.” The chief nodded and put a pair of handcuffs around Thomas’s hands, forcing him into the back of a waiting police car. 

Once the police had cleared out, the five plopped down onto the ground, their exhaustion catching up to them in large waves. “I don’t know about the rest of you,” Volpina said, “but I am completely and wholly ready for the longest sleep of my life.” The rest agreed wholeheartedly, and they stood up and gave their goodbyes and hugs. 

Chat Noir and Ladybug waved as Queen Bee disappeared into the steadily rising sun, then turned to each other. “ I can’t believe it’s actually over. Like, completely and utterly over. No more Hawkmoth,” Chat expressed in awe as they were vaulting through Paris to their home. 

“I know. It seems like half of our lives have been dominated by fighting an evil supervillain. Well, come to think of it, actually more than half of our lives.”

“It all seems so surreal,” Chat responded. By then they had reached their home, detransforming as soon as they fell through the window.

“Y’know, there’s a lot of things we’ll need to set up and go through the next couple of weeks. It’s gonna be pretty rough,” Juliette said, toeing off her heeled boots and her jacket.

“Yes, but for now I just want to sleep for a week.” The two grabbed pajamas from their drawers and went into the bathroom to get ready. “Gabbie might just have to stay with your parents until this is all sorted out.”

Juliette and Remi brushed their teeth in silence. When he was done, Remi exited the bathroom to climb in bed, leaving his wife to clean off her makeup and to wash her face. Not five minutes later she climbed in next to him and curled up, her back fully against his chest. His arm went automatically around her, warm and protective. “Remi?”

“Hmm?” he answered, punctuated by yet another yawn. Their bed was oh so warm, and he was oh so comfortable. 

“Our lives have sure been one miraculous tale,” she almost slurred, most likely half asleep already. Remi was nearly there himself. 

“Yes, they definitely have. Love you, Jules.”

“Love you too, Chaton.” Tomorrow, Juliette and Remi would have to go down to Master Fu to talk with Nooroo, break the news with the Chasses, and hold many, many press conferences and interviews as their superhero selves, but for now, all Remi wanted to do was fall asleep with his arms around his wife, in a warm bed in a warm home, in a magical city, well and truly content for the first time in a long while.

* ~ Fin ~ *

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed!❤️


End file.
